The Princess of Agron
by FairyLies
Summary: Three years is a long time when you're billions of miles away from home. (Alien Universe)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **In lieu of a fresh start, I settled for a "restart."

* * *

**C1**

"Princess, you need to wake up."

My eyes shot open as soon as I felt the cold touch on my arm, Santana was hovering over me with a pleading expression painted on her face. She shook me again and I finally got up, she grabbed my wrist with one hand and held onto a duffel bag with the other. She led me out of my bedroom and into one of the secret tunnels; the sight of the beautifully painted walls of the palace was instantly replaced by that of the harsh cement ones of the tunnel.

About five minutes into the tunnel, I heard the first explosion... It was quickly followed by other deafening sounds of violence, I felt Santana's grip on my wrist tighten and our pace quicken. It was difficult getting through that tunnel; the floor was uneven, the space was limited, and it was dark. The only light was coming from Santana's flashlight; it was hard to focus on walking while I was trying my best to stop myself from having a panic attack.

Everything was still so surreal; even if I knew the day was bound to come, even if the elders foretold it a long time ago, I still couldn't believe that it was _finally_ happening.

I've been preparing for _it_ since I was thirteen years old. My parents said to be brave, they told me I was _special_ and I was the one who was going to bring honor and peace to my people...

My legs started to hurt, but I knew I couldn't stop, Santana started sprinting when the sounds of gunfire drew closer.

I heard screams and cries for help, I wanted to run back and try to save someone, anyone, but I knew Santana wouldn't allow it... I felt hot tears prickling my eyes but I couldn't cry, _I shouldn't cry_. I had to be strong for everyone that I loved even if I knew I wouldn't see any of them ever again.

_I need to avenge their deaths, I need to make it out of here alive, so I can fulfill the prophecy._

The tunnel significantly narrowed, and I was forced to put one hand on Santana's shoulder while she led the way. After a few more minutes, I was able to finally see the light at the other end... I then heard a telltale noise- it sounded far, but I knew someone else discovered the tunnel. Santana began running and I exerted more effort to keep up with her. I was gasping for air when we finally made it out of the artificially-made labyrinth.

Without a word, Santana fished out a remote-like object from her bag and safely backed us away from the opening before pressing a red button. We heard a sharp click followed by a loud explosion. Heat and fire came rushing out of the narrow gap of the tunnel, and I caught sight of Santana's smirk before she grabbed my hand and hastily led the way to the shuttle.

Our shuttle was basically a flying, black, sports-car-like vessel with retractable wings. It was supposedly faster than any other vehicle in the entire universe... It took the people of Agron around three years to construct it but in the end, they successfully created the perfect getaway vehicle for my guardian and I.

Santana opened the front door and helped me in before fixing something in the back and jumping into the driver's seat.

We were off the ground in seconds; I looked down and saw my beloved kingdom in complete and utter chaos.

* * *

I was pretty confused when I first woke up because I couldn't remember actually falling asleep... I sat up to look around, but I felt the safety belt restrict my movements. I then gazed out the window and assumed that we were far away from Agron, I couldn't see anything but stars and space clouds.

I then looked to my side, at Santana, who was sitting on the driver's seat with a stoic expression on her face. I opened my mouth to say something, but I ultimately decided against it. I twisted my neck to look at the backseat and I saw the duffel bag and another black bag resting on the leather seats, I assumed the latter contained her weapons and gadgets.

I really wanted to keep quiet, but apparently, my body had different plans. My stomach started grumbling and Santana cracked a small smile in response. I immediately turned pink- _how can I be hungry now_... I was about to make up an excuse when she turned the steering wheel and changed our course.

She inputted the coordinates of some nearby planet and after a while, we ended up landing in front of a small diner. She got out of the vehicle and courteously opened my door for me. I mumbled a shy _'thanks'_ before following her inside the dainty establishment.

I watched as Santana assiduously scanned the room for threats. When she didn't see any, we sat down in one of the comfortable booths. A young Kato waiter then approached us to take our orders; his skin was an amazing shade of translucent teal, he looked nothing like the people back in Agron.

Despite the unexpectedness of the detour, I was glad that we ended up in a Katoian colony. Kato sandwiches were my all-time favorite, and I happily ordered one while Santana just asked for a cup of coffee. The teal-skinned boy left and I realized just how awkward the atmosphere was...

Of course, I trusted Santana with my life, but it was awkward because my guardian was always so quiet and serious. We only experienced formal group conversations when we were both back in Agron, so things were different... It was only the two of us.

"So do you want to talk about it?" I asked her after a while of complete and rather uncomfortable silence.

"Talk about what?"

"I don't know," I shrugged my shoulders. "Our planet, our people, our plan?"

"I'm taking you to the hide-out planet and we're staying there until you gain all your powers," she said nonchalantly. "Then I'll bring you back home and you're going to save everyone... It's simple."

I stared at her like she was insane; we had to hide until I turned twenty... We had to hide until I gained my powers; people were going to be looking for us the entire time- _p__eople that were trying to kill us._ "Why do you seem so unaffected by all of this?"

She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Because I knew it was going to happen, I was born to protect you. I was trained for this... You're the only reason why I'm still alive right now, I need to focus on you and nothing else."

I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, I wanted to say something, but nothing came out... I decided to just eat my food while Santana read something using one of her devices. After a while, I felt tears trying to leave my hazel eyes once more, so I quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe them away before they fell.

"You know you can talk to me about it, or like cry if you want..." I looked up and saw the plain concern written on Santana's face. Her voice was also a lot softer, and the caring tone inadvertently caused an invisible, emotional dam inside my chest to break without warning.

My tears fell and stained my cheeks, I wanted to stop crying but I just couldn't. I lost everyone I loved. I was so sure that they executed everyone back in the palace. I lost my home, I wouldn't be able to go back to Agron for another three years. And I had no idea what was going to happen, no clue about what I was going to face... I just felt so _lost_.

A warm hand landed atop mine and I looked into brown orbs once more, I couldn't read Santana's eyes, but I knew there was something there,_ something strong and passionate_. "I promise we'll have our revenge, princess." She said the statement with such conviction, I found myself nodding in agreement despite my anxieties. She then squeezed my hand and wiped away my tears. "We'll fulfill this prophecy."

"O-okay," I murmured weakly in response, I admittedly felt a little bit better though.

There was just something so reassuring about Santana's presence...

"Now, finish your food, I know Kato sandwiches are your favorite, that's why I brought us here," she smirked at me and I raised an eyebrow curiously. "I know _everything_ about you, princess... Everything to make sure that you're well taken care of and happy."

I felt my cheeks warm up as I ducked my head and softly mumbled my gratitude. "Thanks, Santana."

* * *

"How long have we been in this thing?" I whined out as I stretched my arms. I felt like we've been driving for so long and my growing boredom was making me increasingly antsy. "And how much longer are we stuck in here for?"

"Well, we've been driving for around 3 hours, and it will be about 2 more until we land, princess... Why? Do you need us to stop or something?"

"No, no, I'm okay... I'm just kind of bored."

"What do you need me to do?"

"You can tell me something about yourself," I shrugged a shoulder. "If we're going to be with each other for the next three years, then I think we should at least get to know each other better."

"Mm, well, I'm Santana Lopez and I'm the _chosen guardian_," she said proudly accompanied by another one of her smirks. "I'm your protector and I'm going to be by your side until the end of all of this..."

"Did you practice that?" I chuckled out. "Okay then, I'm Quinn Fabray, I'm the Princess of Agron, and I'm really glad you're with me... _Chosen guardian_."

I heard her laugh and the sound made me smile. "How did you become the chosen guardian anyway?"

"I snuck into the hall of elders when I was eight, I thought I was going to be punished, but one of them grabbed me and somehow saw my future. Long story short, I had to say farewell to my family and my old life, then they trained me, and _now we're here_..."

"Eight? You started your training at the age of eight? But I only found out about all of this when I turned thirteen..."

"I guess I had to start earlier... I may be only only sixteen, but I feel more than prepared. You're safe with me, princess."

"I know _that_," I grinned at her. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Earth."

I tilted my head to the side- _Earth, huh?_

_This was going to be interesting..._

* * *

Santana activated the stealth and shield features of the shuttle before we entered the orbit of planet Earth. The ride was quite bumpy, but it was also over pretty quickly; we landed in some desert and I heard Santana let out sigh of relief. I turned my head to face her with a quirked eyebrow.

"We made it," she announced with an endearing grin. "Welcome to our home for the next three years, princess."

I looked around and saw nothing amazing... Agron was definitely a lot more beautiful than Earth, even the green planet's sky wasn't that great. I let out my own sigh. "I'm going to miss Agron."

"Me too, but three years will be over before you know it..."

"I hope so."

"Cheer up, princess. How about you choose where we live first... Ohio or Los Angeles?"

"I don't know anything about the two places you just mentioned," I shrugged nonchalantly. "You pick."

"Well, Ohio is quiet and Los Angeles is umm... _Not_?" Santana said unsurely while reading the information from one of her gadgets. "You know the researchers back in Agron didn't really provide us with a lot of useful information."

I could tell that she was getting frustrated by the way her jaw was clenching slightly. "Don't worry about it, the choice is easy then... We'll go to Ohio, after all the chaos back in Agron, _quiet sounds really good_," I told her and she nodded before pressing one of the buttons and retracting the wings of the shuttle.

We then drove in comfortable silence toward Lima, Ohio.

* * *

Earth architecture was pretty unique, _simplistically so_. The house that we first moved in to was definitely not something I was used to... I grew up in a grand palace, so moving into a four-bedroom house was a big change for me. Santana told me that it was already considered a big enough home on Earth.

That little piece of information caused me to dread living on the planet even more...

"Come on, princess... You'll be fine," Santana chuckled from the doorway of my new bedroom. "This place is nice, _it's cozy_."

"It's different_,_" I rolled my eyes before sitting on the edge of my new bed. "Santana?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think the Mildans have a chance of finding us here?"

"Earth is really far and also really tiny... And I was driving pretty fast, so I highly doubt that we left a trail. Your parents chose this planet because no one would ever suspect someone like yourself to be living in a place like this," she paused and looked me right in the eye. "But if ever they do find us, I'll make sure to kill them- _no one will touch you, I promise_."

I gave her a small, grateful smile before standing up and walking to her. "I'm hungry, what can we eat around here?"

"I was going to their marketplace to buy you some food... Do you want anything specific?"

"Actually, can I go with you?"

I knew she wanted to say no, but she wasn't supposed to deny my requests. "Yeah, okay... But we both need to change our clothes first, okay? Earth clothing is nothing like what we have on right now."

"What do you mean?"

* * *

A supermarket was definitely an interesting place, so many aisles and sections... Earth's architecture and landscapes didn't amaze me, but its supermarkets sure did. Hearing that there were hundreds and thousands of those establishments around the planet impressed me even more.

"Santana look at that!" I shouted excitedly, running to a shelf filled with colorful boxes of something called _'cereal'_. I hastily grabbed a number of boxes and dropped them into our pushcart. "This place is amazing..."

"I know it is, princess, but you need to relax a little... Earth-food has expiration dates, so we can't buy too much unless you want us to end up fat," she chuckled before scrunching her nose up in disgust. "No more unhealthy stuff, okay?"

I nodded obediently and followed Santana to the vegetable section- _boring_. I took the time to stare at my shoes, 'ALL STAR' was written on the flaps. I assumed that was the brand; Santana told me that everything had brands and labels in this planet.

_Weird._

The clothes I was wearing felt weird too, I was dressed in a gray T-shirt and pants that were way too tight... (_Skinny jeans?_) I was used to wearing elegant dresses in Agron, so my new outfit was plain strange to me.

Earthlings were definitely strange creatures; they looked _a lot_ like the beings from Agron, but they acted differently... Santana told me not to speak to anyone, so even if I was really tempted to ask someone how their day was going, I stopped myself. According to my guardian, Earthlings didn't just randomly talk to each other- _once again, boring_.

I followed Santana until we reached a checkout counter, where a lady scanned every single item in our shopping cart and placed them in brown paper bags afterwards. Once all the items were scanned and bagged, I watched Santana hand the lady a plastic card, which she swiped using a machine. Santana was then given small pieces of paper, which she signed with the name _'Emily'_.

I wanted to ask her who Emily was, but I decided against it, opting to just bring the topic up later... We walked back to our shuttle that now-looked like an ordinary albeit flashy Earthling car. She placed the bags in the back and drove us back home.

Once we were settled, Santana cooked me something that was simply delicious- _seriously, it was one of the best meals I've ever had_. I actually burnt my tongue because I was rushing to eat all of it. Consequently, she scolded me before blaming herself for not making sure the food wasn't too hot before she served it.

"Santana it's okay! I'm fine," I tried to convince her, but I knew she didn't believe me. "Anyway, it's my fault and I swear, it doesn't even hurt, please stop worrying about it..."

"Princess,_ I'm serious_, please take care of yourself too... I can't stand the thought of you being in any pain or discomfort, alright?"

I nodded quickly, I didn't like seeing her that way- _all frustrated and distraught_.

"Who's Emily?" I then asked, trying to change the topic and move away from the infinitesimal issue.

"_Emily Smith_, all our assets are under that fake name. By the way, we were given more than enough money to last us three years on this planet, which means you can buy anything you want... Just tell me and I'll purchase it for you, alright?"

"Yay! We're not actually poor then," I announced and Santana finally smiled again. "Can we go buy clothes in the morning? I don't really like these skinny jeans," I told her with a pout on my lips.

"Sure, princess," she said while picking up the used plates. "I'm just going to clean up, you should go to your room and get some rest... You've had a long day."

"You want me to help?"

"No, I'm okay."

I frowned before reluctantly making my way up to my bedroom. I liked spending time with Santana. Other than the fact that she was the only one I knew on the planet, I actually _liked_ her... I liked the way I felt _truly safe_ whenever she was around me.

I also liked the way she made me feel inexplicably special.

* * *

_I was supposed to be strong, I wasn't supposed to be running away. The Mildan king was behind me and I knew I was going to die; I saw my parents at the end of the hallway we were running in. I wanted to run faster and hug them one last time, but my legs gave and I fell to the ground..._

_His right hand was gripping my throat in an instant and I couldn't breathe. I wanted to scream something- anything- but nothing came out. I heard someone yell my name and I saw Santana running towards us, she was able to get the Mildan king to let go of my throat by tackling him to the ground._

_I thought it was over, I thought he was dead, but when Santana turned her back on him he stabbed her in the back._

_I then screamed her name—_

My eyelids snapped open and I was panting breathlessly, I could feel the sweat coating my quivering body... _That was some nightmare_, I remarked inwardly. I tried my best to regulate my breathing, but it wasn't working, I heard a noise and I whipped my head to face the door of my room.

Santana was standing there with a worried look on her face, I quickly sat up. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry, I just had a little nightmare..."

"You were screaming my name," she informed me cautiously. "What was it about?"

I felt my cheeks burning, she heard me scream her name... I_ actually_ screamed her name. "We were back in Agron and I was too weak to defeat the Mildans, uh_- they_-_ you_... You died! The Mildan king killed you," I said shakily before my tears started dripping onto the bedsheets below.

Santana walked towards the bed and sat beside me, she wiped away my tears before making me look right at her. "Listen, it was just a nightmare, okay? That won't happen, I won't die because of a Mildan and you won't fail... Now go back to sleep, princess."

I lay back down and tried to close my eyes while listening to her retreating footsteps, but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep alone. "Wait! Santana, please stay the night?"

Again, I knew she wanted to say _'no',_ but she couldn't deny my requests. She came back and sat down on the foot of the bed. However, in a blink of an eye, she was standing again, walking toward my closet. She took out a new set of sleepwear and handed it to me, looking away as I hurriedly dressed myself.

Once I was done, she settled back down on the edge of my bed; her posture noticeably tense.

"No, come here... This bed is big enough for the both of us," I held up the sheets, so she could slide under them and join me. She relented with a pensive sigh and settled beside me, I then immediately snuggled into her. _L__ike I said earlier_... I like how I felt safe whenever Santana was around. "Goodnight, San."

Her body was still rigid, but I knew she wasn't going to complain or escape. She wouldn't leave me after seeing how scared I was... I could feel the thumping of her chest and the air I was breathing in smelled just like her- _I liked it, I liked it a lot._

"Goodnight, princess."

I felt like I could sleep soundly again, knowing that Santana was by my side.

* * *

"How about this one?" I asked while showing her the dress that I was fitting. "I think this one's pretty nice..."

I gazed at Santana who was sitting on a waiting couch; she looked so bored, but I seriously couldn't stop trying on all of the clothes around me. Everything was just so strangely interesting- shorts, tank tops, cocktail dresses, bikinis... Earthlings were apparently very fond of showing off their skin.

"Princess, you would look breathtaking in absolutely anything... Just buy whatever you want, so we can go home, please?"

"Fine, I believe I can survive with the things I picked out," I grinned at her when Santana raised an eyebrow. I changed back into my original outfit, and when I got out of the fitting room, I saw Santana standing struggling to carry the mountain of clothes I picked out.

"You good?" She asked me before reaching out for the last dress.

"I can carry this one, do you need help with all of _that_?" I asked her shyly. "Or like, do you want to buy anything for yourself?"

"No, I'm fine." She led me to the cashier, where she paid using our credit card. It still amazed me that plastic cards could be used to pay for basically anything on this planet... "Are you sure you're done shopping?" She asked me one more time.

I nodded happily, I offered to carry some of the bags but- of course- she refused.

We then headed back to the car and drove home.

* * *

"Santana!" I called out from my bedroom.

My guardian came running; she appeared by my door in seconds, slightly breathless.

_Ugh, she was seriously adorable... _

"Yeah? What's wrong, princess?"

"Nothing's wrong..." I said through an appreciative smile. "I'm just bored- what are you doing?"

"Well, I was practicing my shooting... Can I request something?"

"Yeah, alright," I replied rather nervously, unsure of how to perceive the serious expression on her face.

"Please don't scream my name like someone's attacking you, _you scared me a little_."

I sat up and smirked. "I scared you? I scared the chosen guardian?"

"Well, yes, I only fear one thing anyway... Not being by your side if ever you're in danger."

My cheeks turned red at the confession, I bit my bottom lip awkwardly. "Oh, alright... Sorry for bothering you," I said lamely.

_What is going on with me?_

Santana's presence has been having this weird effect on me these past couple of weeks. I was expecting her to leave, but she walked towards me and sat on the edge of the bed. We were quiet for a while, just staring at each other. Her eyes were the most amazing shade of brown, they were absolutely beautiful...

She cleared her throat and I blinked a couple of times to clear my head. I chuckled awkwardly and she gave me a small smile before asking her next question. "So you're bored, huh?"

"Yup, _super bored_."

"Okay, get dressed, let's go somewhere," she said and I happily leapt out of the bed and walked towards my closet. She left the room to give me privacy, and I put on a pair of shorts and a top.

_Earth clothes can be comfortable, I adored shorts even if they're way too revealing in my opinion..._

I quickly made my way outside, and Santana locked the front door; I was heading to our car, but she quickly stopped me by gently reaching for my arm. "We're just walking, it's pretty near," she told me with another one of charming smiles and I just nodded in response.

For some reason, I couldn't seem to form actual words; my mind was still thinking about her welcomed grip on my arm. I liked it a lot when we were touching... That's why I always snuggled closer to her whenever she slept beside me.

We walked side by side for a couple of minutes until we reached a place called a _'park'_. The place was full of jubilant children and colorful structures that were designed for their amusement and entertainment. "Well, this place looks interesting," I commented as I observed my new surroundings.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's different, huh?"

"Am I allowed to try that?" I asked her as I pointed at this peculiar _thing_ that I could only describe as a customized inclined plane or ramp.

"Yeah, sure, they're playing on a slide... This a playground; that's the slide, that's a swing set, that's a sandbox, that's the monkey bars," she pointed at the different colorful structures within the area. "Let's wait though, it's almost sunset and I'm sure all of the kids will go home soon, so it won't be too crowded in a while."

I pouted a little, but I obediently agreed; it was probably a good idea for us to wait. We sat on a wooden bench and she told me to wait there while she went somewhere. Naturally, I didn't like being left alone, but it was okay since she came back pretty quickly, carrying two ice cream cones in her hands_. _

"Try it," she offered while holding both out to me, I chose the pink one because I liked the color. She started licking her brown one, which I assumed was chocolate-flavored. I smelled my ice cream first, which made Santana laugh.

I stuck my tongue out at her before licking my own ice cream. _Wow, that's delicious. _I happily licked and sucked my melting ice cream. I quickly finished mine and then proceeded to eat the wafer cone. "Thanks," I told Santana with a wide smile.

She used her free hand to cup my cheek and I had no idea what she was going to do... I closed my eyes, waiting for her to do _something_. Then I felt her swipe her thumb over the corner of my mouth to remove the pink stain lingering there.

"No worries," she replied with a grin before standing up and finishing her own ice cream. She offered me a hand, which I gratefully took and she led me back to the playground, which was thankfully pretty empty by now.

It was also a lot darker because the sun was setting in the horizon, but I didn't mind, Santana was with me anyway... I ran to the slide and I climbed the ladder and slid down- in all honestly, I just copied what I saw a child doing a while ago.

It was fun... _A lot of fun actually._

"You know, I sometimes wonder if you're really seventeen," I looked up and saw Santana smirking at me, she offered me her hand again and pulled me up.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I _often _wonder if you're really sixteen, you act like an adult all the time..."

"One of us needs to," she shrugged and I playfully pushed her._ Grr,_ she didn't even move an inch. "You want to see me_ play_?" She asked smugly.

The way she uttered the word 'play' made me curious; I nodded and she sprinted away towards the highest set of monkey bars. She jumped and hung on a bar using one hand then she began flipping and spinning around, alternating hands.

I was immediately amazed by the athletic demonstration; also, her shirt kept riding up, which revealed those perfectly-toned abs of hers..._ Yup, I was amazed. _She ran back to me after showing off and she wasn't at all breathless or anything.

_I guess you have to be really fit to become the chosen guardian..._

I kind of regret not being able to witness Santana train back in Agron.

"_That's_ how I play," Santana smirked at me as soon as she returned.

I acted unimpressed though. After her little comment about me being childish, I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of me swooning over her skills..._ Even if I was indeed swooning inside._ I heard her let out a small gasp when I turned away from her without a word and headed to the swing set.

I smirked discreetly when she begrudgingly followed me- _too easy_. I sat on one of the seats of the swing and used my feet to move my body back and forth. It felt nice, but I wanted to go a lot higher... "Do you want me to push?"

"Sure," I beamed at my guardian, and then I felt her palms on my back; she was pushing me gently at first and I kept my feet up. "Higher!"

She used more of her strength and then _I was flying_. "Hold on tight, princess," I nodded, yes, and clutched the metal chains more firmly as I told her to keep going.

I was gazing at the night sky, and I imagined that I was getting closer to Agron with every push.

Santana stopped pushing after a while and gravity did its job. The swing slowed down and the ride was over before I was ready, I looked at Santana and I was about to ask her to keep going but she spoke up first. "It's getting pretty late, I think we should go home."

I wanted to argue, but Santana had been nothing but amazing, so I grudgingly agreed with her.

The walk back home was a peaceful one; Santana was her normal quiet self, but there was something in the air that made me want to smile the entire way back. For the first time in weeks, _I was really happy_. In that moment, I really wanted to interlace our fingers, but I knew _that_ would've been taking things too far...

When we reached the front of our house, I stopped her to look her in the eye. "Thanks, Santana... I had a lot of fun today."

She faced me, tucked some of my hair behind my ear, and then sent me a sincere smile. "Anything for you, princess."

I was blushing the whole way back up to my room; something was different with the way I was reacting to Santana, and I honestly didn't know if it was a bad or good thing.

* * *

"Are you excited?"

I looked up from my bowl of cereal to see Santana smirking at me. _Nothing ever good comes from that smirk_... "Why should I be excited?" I asked her cautiously.

"You're starting high school tomorrow!" She said with way too much enthusiasm.

"_What_?"

"You heard me... Tomorrow, you're going to be a student of McKinley High."

"Earth school, _but why_?" I groaned out loud, staring at my guardian as if she just uttered something in a language that I could not comprehend.

"Because that's what the elders wanted for you," she half-shrugged. "You can't just bum in this house for the next three years, you know..."

"Are they crazy? I can't go to school here! I don't know anything about this planet, I'm just going to end up failing all my subjects."

"They probably are crazy, but don't worry, your subjects are mostly arithmetic and science ones- no Biology though. You'll do fine, princess, you're smart and I know you're going to do amazing in your English classes," she told me calmly; I wish I felt calm too...

I was absolutely terrified; pure panic flowing through my veins- _stuck in Earth school?_

"I've only been studying English for like three years, Santana!" I whined, clearly alarmed by the news, and she chuckled in response causing me to glare at her in both confusion and frustration.

"Princess, we both haven't spoken in our Agron language for about three years too, we've been preparing for this, so stop worrying..."

"Easy for you to say, you aren't the one going to high school!"

She started laughing harder, so I glared even more. _How is any of this funny? _I loved seeing Santana laugh, but right now didn't seem like an appropriate time. _Ugh. _When she calmed down, I flashed her a questioning-look, asking her to explain what was so funny.

"I'm sorry, it's just- do you really think I'd let you out of my sight everyday and worry in this house while you're at school?" She asked me, clearly amused by the idea. "I'm going to be a student too, princess."

I relaxed significantly after hearing that Santana would be with me... _But high school?_

"Why do we have to go to school?" I knew there was no way out of it, but I wanted to whine about it some more. "Can't we just hide out here in our own little bubble?"

"Tempting..." She smiled then placed a hand over mine. "_But no_, think of it as an adventure, Quinn... We'll go to actual classes and meet new people- _it'll be fun_. And it's only for one year anyway, we'll be new students in the senior class... So after graduation, it will be all over."

Something she said caught my attention, _a particular word_. I was silent for a while, awkwardly silent. My eyes were just glued to her face; she quirked an eyebrow and cleared her throat.

"You called me _Quinn_..." I whispered out when I saw her open her mouth to say something else. I watched her ethereal face as she realized what she did, and I could tell that she felt immediately guilty over the matter.

"Uh- I'm sorry, princess," she stuttered out. "Seriously, I shouldn't have—"

"No!" I cut her off again. "_I like it_, nobody ever calls me Quinn, even my parents called me _'princess'_... Plus, I think it would be better if you called me Quinn in school, like in front of other people."

She sighed in relief. "Alright then, if that's what you want, _Quinn_."

I grinned- I like how she said my name... The way her mouth moved when that word came out. I let out a huge, over-the-top sigh, but nodded my head in acquiescence. "Fine, I'll go to Earth school..."

"Not like you actually had a choice, Quinn."

"Don't push it," I threatened her, I was clearly joking though. "You'll be with me in every class though, won't you?"

I saw her anxiously bite her lip and shift a little. "Honestly, I can't be in every one of your classes... It's bothering me too, but we really couldn't get the exact same schedule. I have no clue why they didn't fix it while we were still back in Agron," she clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth. "I swear though, you won't get hurt... I'm fast, I promise you don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried about being attacked, Santana. I just like having you around... It's not about the Mildans, okay?"

"Oh, _umm_- _I_- you shouldn't worry about _that_ too. I'll always be close to you, and like we always have our breaks and stuff," she said nervously, which made her even more adorable in my eyes.

_Flustered Santana... So cute._

"Fine," I huffed in defeat before grumbling my next phrase. "_Stupid McKinley High_..."

"It'll be fun princess, trust me."

"You called me 'princess' again," I teased her with a playful eye roll. "_It's Quinn_, okay?"

"Alright, _Quinn_," she replied with another one of her adorable grins. "Oh and before I forget, your name in school is Quinn Rivers..."

"Huh?"

"We can't risk our enemies finding you because of your real name- actually, your name is Lucy Rivers, but just introduce yourself as Quinn... Nicknames are common in this planet, anyway."

"Lucy Rivers, _really_? What's your name?"

"Santana Lopez," she answered with a smirk. _Well, that's unfair... _"There's no record of my existence back in Agron, so I figured I could keep my real name."

"That's _so_ unfair."

"Why? _Lucy's cute_."

Okay, even if my name wasn't actually_ 'Lucy'_, in my head she just called _me_ cute. My cheeks were burning and my heart was beating rapidly again. Uh-oh, I think I finally figured out what was wrong with me...

_I have a crush on my freaking guardian._

"Sure is," I said sarcastically before excusing myself and hiding in my room. I can't like her... It'll be too messy; even a harmless crush was already way too much.

_Stop it, Quinn... _

* * *

We parked in the student lot and I saw so many people staring at our car; we probably should've made it _less flashy_... Santana got out and I knew she was going to open my door for me, so I rushed out of the vehicle before she could. She gave me a confused look and I just shrugged.

I grabbed my own bag, trying to look as normal as possible. I didn't want Santana to look weird too, so she couldn't do _everything_ for me- even if I knew she wanted to. We walked in the building and I swear, Earth schools were nothing like Agron schools. Everyone seemed so lost, there were so many small groups and lonely people in the halls...

_For one race, everyone seemed to be so divided on this planet._

I tried to ignore it as we made our way to the office to finish with the registration-stuff. Santana and I eventually received our locker codes, and we headed toward their supposed direction. On the way there, I accidentally stepped on a girl's shoe.

The girl was wearing a red and white outfit- I found out that she was a cheerleader later on.

She called me a _'bitch'_ and I spat out a halfhearted _'sorry'_. She rolled her eyes and walked away. _How rude.._. Santana saw the whole thing and I knew she wanted to smash the girl's face, but I told her to relax. "Well, this place is rather wild," I sighed out once we finally got to our lockers. "Nothing like Agron, huh?"

"Nothing like Agron," she chuckled out while slightly shaking her head. I looked at her and noticed that she still had all her things.

I frowned, knowing she wouldn't have enough time to go to her own locker if she waited for me to finish. "Go ahead, just meet me back here," I told her with a smile.

"No, I'm fine, it's not _hea_—"

"No, Santana, just please drop your stuff off first..._ For me_?"

I knew she was hesitant, but she agreed anyway. I resumed fixing my locker and after placing my last book, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned back, expecting it to be Santana, but it was some big guy instead... He was in a McKinley varsity jacket and he was holding a large cup of some icy red liquid.

"Hi?" I said cautiously, I sounded pretty friendly, so I was hoping this guy was just trying to be friends with me.

"Rachel Berry says _'hi' _back," he winked before moving his arm; my eyes went wide... _Was he seriously going to throw the contents of that cup all over me?_ I closed my eyes to brace myself, but nothing came. I heard someone scream- a male scream- and I finally opened my eyes again.

Santana was back and she was twisting the boy's arm with one hand and holding the cup with another. "Were you about to_ slushie_ my friend over here?" Her tone was absolutely frightening and I kinda felt sorry for the boy.

"No, _ouch_, I'm sorry," he said while wincing from the pain. "Please let go, I just did what Rachel told me to do... I'm sorry, I swear it won't happen again." The boy was near tears and I seriously felt bad for him; there was a crowd forming around us and I just wanted the whole thing to end already.

"Santana, stop!" I shouted and she instantly let go of his arm; the boy ran away and Santana angrily gave him the finger. "_Enough_, no harm done."

"No harm done? He was about to slushie you, if I didn't make it back in time and that actually happened _I assure you_ he would be dead by now," she was absolutely furious as she spoke the words, her dark eyes glowing in rage.

_I guess to 'slushie someone' meant to throw a drink all over them..._

"I don't doubt that at all," I said in a harsh whisper. "But keep your voice down."

"_Fine_," she said through gritted teeth, then she turned around and walked over to a random girl. "Do you know who _Rachel_ is?"

"Rachel Berry, head cheerleader?" The unknown girl asked nervously; she witnessed what Santana did earlier and I bet she was scared of my guardian. Santana nodded, yes, and the girl pointed to the other side of the hall. "Yeah, she's that one..."

_Crap, it was the girl whose shoe I stepped on earlier._

I watched as Santana made her way toward the short brunette, she then tapped her on the shoulder, trying to get her attention. As soon as the girl faced Santana, my guardian splashed the contents of the cup all over _her_ face... Everyone around them gasped and stared at the scene.

_So much for not calling attention to ourselves_, I thought, absolutely mortified by what I was witnessing.

"Listen, no one messes with Quinn, okay? _That goes for everyone_," she shouted out; 'everyone' was dead silent, but it was obvious that they all understood. The school bell rang movements later and all of the students went their separate ways.

_We_ had first period English, and for the first time ever, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be around Santana.

I was sure of one thing though... Life in McKinley High will be _far_ from boring.

* * *

"Quinn, I said I was sorry."

I rolled my eyes at Santana yet again..._Okay, so being a new student is already difficult, right?_ Imagine being a new student in a whole different planet, where everyone in your school avoided you like the plague on your very first day.

_Too much? Thought so._

"Why are you so mad at me?"

"Why?" I finally looked at my guardian before pointing at the empty seats in our table. "No one wants to come near us 'cause they're scared," I frowned. "How are we supposed to make friends now?"

"The guy this morning is fine, Quinn... I barely hurt him and Rachel on the other hand deserved that slushie facial," she smirked, but immediately stopped when she saw me glaring at her. "You do understand that I_ need _to protect you, right? What happened this morning was sort of like a natural-thing for me," she shrugged her shoulders and began picking at her food tray.

I looked down at my own cafeteria food and grimaced. _Okay, I'm so not eating this... _I began playing with my cup of green jell-o, trying to distract myself. I didn't like how awkward it was between Santana and I- actually, _I hated it..._ So I sighed before swallowing the lump in my throat and speaking up again. "San?"

It was obvious that she wasn't expecting me to talk to her, so the shocked face she had on was all kinds of adorable. "Yeah?"

"I'm not mad at you for what happened this morning," I flashed her a small but sincere smile. "I understand why you did what you did... _It's just that_- if we want to fit in here, we need to adjust too."

"I know, I'm sorry... I admit I could have handled things better, but I just can't stomach the thought of anything bad happening to you. Eight years is a long time, Quinn... Eight years of nothing but being trained and taught how to protect you," she exhaled slowly. "Nothing bad can ever happen to you, _I won't allow it_, I can't."

I just nodded and gave her a halfhearted smile. I wasn't sure how to feel whenever Santana said things like _that_... I liked how her words made me feel like I was the most important life form in the universe, but at the same time, I hated them for making it sound like it was her duty to be with me-_ like I was just a job_.

The overhead bell eventually rang, telling us that lunch was over. "I don't like it when you're sad," Santana told me in a soft tone while she walked me to my next class.

"I'm not sad, I'm just thinking about a couple of things," I casually shrugged. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course," she smiled at me before heading to her own class. I had that uneasy feeling again; I really didn't like being alone... I felt like everyone was looking at me when I entered the classroom, I quickly took the first empty seat available to avoid their gazes.

"You're Quinn Rivers, right?" I turned my head to my left and I watched the Rachel-girl take the seat that was right beside me. "I'm Rachel Berry," she introduced herself, extending a hand.

A lump formed in my throat and I wasn't sure if I was capable of talking, this was the girl Santana slushied this morning... _Uh-oh. _I took her hand though and shook it gently, trying my best to be polite and cordial.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning, I was just in a bad mood and I needed to vent out some frustration... After you stepped on my foot, I kinda just lost it- it was wrong for me to have you slushied though," she shrugged; the grin she had on her face was friendly mixed with something else... _I wasn't entirely sure what it was. _"Well, you weren't really slushied, were you? So I guess no harm done... Your friend though, she's something else, huh? Who would have thought a new girl could make_ that kind of impression_ on her first day."

I silently stared at her for a couple of seconds, unsure if she was done talking. She spoke _really _fast... It was crazy. I cleared my throat and gave her an unsure grin. "It's fine, I'm sorry too- _about how Santana reacted_."

"Don't worry about it... So are you two like dating?"

My eyes widened significantly after hearing her unexpected question. "_Dating_?" I squeaked out. "Of course not, she's like my, um,_ guard-_ my best friend!" I wasn't sure why I was so nervous; it was _close_ to the truth anyway. "She's my best friend..."

_We aren't dating, she's my guardian... I can't date her. Never. _

"I see," Rachel said with a smirk and my eyes flashed to the front of the room- still no teacher... _Where is he? _"Mr. Wayne is always late, don't worry... We probably have about five more minutes to talk."

"Oh, _cool_," I commented lamely; I still found it rather awkward to converse with Rachel.

"You and Santana should attend my party this Friday night... It's like a start of the school year thing and _everyone who is anyone_ is going to be there. I think it would be a great place for you two to meet people since you guys are new here."

"You're inviting us? Santana and I?" I quirked an eyebrow. "I don't know—"

"Quinn, I want to be friends with you and Santana... I admit what happened this morning wasn't the best way to meet someone, but that's why I want you guys to attend my party. You two would—"

"Okay class, sorry I'm late." The teacher finally arrived, cutting my conversation with Rachel short. I was pretty relieved since I didn't really understand why Rachel was being so nice to me... About 30 minutes later, the head cheerleader passed me a small piece of paper.

_6 Roger St Friday 8PM See you guys! ;)_

I slipped the note into my pocket for safe-keeping. I kinda wanted to go... A high school party sounded like a lot of fun; it was just scary because it was _Rachel's_ party.

_Oh well, I guess I'll discuss it with Santana._

* * *

"We're not going, Quinn," Santana deadpanned.

"What, _why_?"

"It's Rachel Berry's party... She hates us, remember?"

"She doesn't hate us, she even apologized for what happened... She seems really friendly, San," I sighed. "_I want to go_."

"Yeah, she _'seems' _friendly... Quinn, this could be like part of her plan to get revenge for what I did. She's head cheerleader for a reason and she looks really sketchy."

"You're just being paranoid," I groaned out before combing a hand through my hair. "Santana, I think we _need_ to go. It's going to be the perfect opportunity for us to actually make friends. We can show them that we aren't scary or crazy."

"I really don't think it's a good idea for us to go," she released a big sigh of her own. "Earth parties are different from the balls you're used to back in Agron... There will be alcohol everywhere, crappy music, sweaty teenagers, and it's just going to be _really messy_."

"Think of it as a learning experience then... Parties are supposedly part of high school life and I want to attend this one, I'm pretty sure I can handle it, San. I promise not to do anything stupid and if it gets too wild we can go home," I flashed her my best smile. "So can we _please_ go?"

"Fine, we can go, but you need to behave, alright?"

"Yay!" I exclaimed before wrapping my arms around her; I felt her body instantly tense up- _a__wkward. _"Thanks, Santana."

"Sure," she smiled before patting my back. "Now, what are you in the mood to eat?"

"Anything," I stopped hugging her and shrugged. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking of ordering some Chinese if you're up for it... Asian food is supposedly delicious," she said with a grin that was way too cute, I could tell she really wanted to try Chinese food. "But if you want something else—"

"No!" I cut her off. "Chinese sounds great, I'm just going to go upstairs to take a quick shower... Just get me anything, I trust you _completely_."

She raised an eyebrow and smiled curiously after hearing the last word._ Okay, it slipped but it's true! So what if we were just talking about dinner... _I awkwardly left the living room and went to my en-suitre bathroom to shower.

When I got back down, Santana already changed into more comfortable clothes. I allowed my eyes to admire her body for a while- I could see just how lean and amazing her body was through the tight tank top that she was wearing. When she faced me, I quickly whipped my head to the side to stare at a- _l__amp?_

"Why are you looking at that lamp like that?" She chuckled out causing my cheeks to warm up a bit. I just shrugged. "You're a silly princess... The food is on the counter- are you hungry already?"

"Starving."

...

_'Struggling'_ would have been an understatement... Yes, our dinner was really good; the noodles and dumplings were incredibly yummy, but I was having the hardest time transporting my food from the plate to my mouth via the strange wooden utensils that were provided. For some reason, I just couldn't get the hang of using chopsticks...

"You okay?" I faced Santana who was expertly using her own pair of chopsticks. She was looking at me with a clearly amused expression on her face, so I embarrassedly turned away.

"Yup, I got this," I lied before _trying_ to eat again.

"Here," Santana got up from her chair and stood beside me, she placed the chopsticks in the right position in my hand and then showed me the proper way of using them. "Got it?"

"I think so," I tried again and as expected, I failed miserably once more. "I give up," I tossed the two wooden sticks onto the counter in defeat. The next thing I knew, there was a dumpling right in front of my mouth; I smiled before taking a small bite. "Thanks."

"Can't let you starve," she smirked at me before feeding me some noodles. "You know, I could always just get you a fork or something..."

"Yeah you could but... _I like this_," I grinned. She alternated between feeding me and herself during the whole meal; I really could've used a fork, but I found it cute that Santana was feeding me. "We should always order Chinese, _yum_."

"Oh no."

I stuck my tongue out at her in jest before standing up. "Night, Santana."

"Goodnight, Quinn."

I went up to my room that night; happy that the tension caused by the slushie incident was completely gone. I liked how comfortable I was with Santana and I wanted it to _always_ stay that way. I went to sleep that night, piously praying to the pantheon of Agron gods to bless my developing friendship/relationship with my guardian...

* * *

After our first day in McKinley, nothing extraordinary really happened... Which made me even _more_ excited for Rachel's party at the end of the week. Santana tried a couple more times to convince me not to go, but I wasn't missing the party that _everyone_ was talking about. Rachel even came up to us one lunch period to invite Santana herself. My guardian was still skeptical, but she was at least polite, which I was thankful for.

It was kind of embarrassing how I rushed home after my last class on Friday since I had hours to get ready. I just wanted to be prepared; it was my first real Earth event after all... At around 8PM, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "You ready?" I heard Santana ask from the other side.

"Almost, _come in_!" I was checking myself one last time in the mirror. I decided to wear a tight skirt and a top since it seemed like a safe outfit choice. I also had a bit of makeup on, which I copied from some girl's face in Seventeen magazine. I turned to where Santana was standing and I'm pretty sure my jaw fell...

_Damn._

I didn't even know she owned a pair of shorts... Her outfit was pretty simple, but it was also _really sexy_. A tight black top and high-waisted denim shorts? Santana rocked it... She cleared her throat and I forced myself to stop checking her out.

"I'm ready!" I quickly squeaked out when I saw her smirking at me. "Let's go?"

She chuckled before nodding and leading us down to the car. I was pretty anxious during the whole ride to Rachel's house. I wasn't really sure what to expect since it was my first high school party... When the car stopped moving, I began to panic a little.

"Are you okay?"

I turned to my right, where I could see Santana looking at me with a concerned expression even in the dim lighting. I quickly sent her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, just a little nervous."

"You'll be fine Quinn, just don't do anything stupid, please?"

"Yup, _I promise_."

"Alright, then let's go to our first McKinley high party."

I nodded and we both got out of the car and entered Rachel's house. Two minutes later, I realized how accurate Santana's earlier description was... The place was full of sweaty teenagers that were dancing to crappy music and drinking _lots_ of alcohol. It was pretty wild, but it was also incredibly interesting.

"You guys are here!" Rachel exclaimed as soon as her eyes landed on us. "I'm so glad that you two could make it... Drinks are in the kitchen."

"I'm glad we're here too," I grinned at her excitedly. "I'm not drinking though."

"It's a party, Quinn, _you're drinking_!" She laughed before tugging me towards the kitchen. I heard Santana growl softly, but I knew she was following us. "So what do you want- _shots_? Or you want me to mix something for you?"

The kitchen wasn't as crowded as the living room, so it was easier for me to breathe in there. I wasn't sure how to respond to Rachel's alcohol questions since I didn't have a lot of experience when it came to drinking. "You pick," I shrugged.

Rachel nodded before facing Santana who was standing behind me. "What do you want to drink, Santana?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"I'm driving us home, so I can't drink."

"Oh alright," Rachel poured some liquid into two shot glasses and handed me one. "Bottoms up," she smirked before knocking hers down; I quickly followed, wincing at the taste and the burning feeling in my throat.

"That's nasty," I scrunched up my face up in disgust. I heard Santana chuckle softly from behind me, but before I could look at her, Rachel spoke up again.

"Tequila is definitely a killer," she sent me another smirk before filling our shot glasses again. "Come on, one more for—"

"Quinn, I don't think it's a good idea for you drink too much in such a short span of time," Santana cut Rachel off causing the other brunette to raise an eyebrow at her. "I mean, you could chill out for a while..."

"Yeah, Quinn listen to your babysitter," Rachel giggled causing my face to turn a dark shade of pink. "If you don't want this, I can give it to—"

"No!" I grabbed the shot glass and drank the tequila without another word. "I'm okay, Santana," I smiled at my guardian, but she looked away, clearly pissed. Rachel took her own shot and we started casually talking again; I would glance at Santana every once in a while, but she just had this stoic expression that I couldn't read.

"Brittany!" I heard Rachel shout out and a blonde girl came up to us. "Brittany, this is Quinn and Santana... Guys, this is my friend, Brittany."

"Nice to meet you," Brittany said with a pretty grin; her bright blue eyes fixed firmly on Santana. "Are you drinking?"

"Nope," Santana shook her head.

"Awesome!" Brittany grabbed Santana's hand and began pulling her towards the living room. "That means _we're_ dancing."

"No, wait—" Santana stopped and looked at me, making Brittany release her.

"Go ahead, San... I'll just be here with Rachel," I was expecting her to leave at once, but she walked up to me again.

"You know I don't like not being able to see you," she said softly into my ear; the feeling of her breath on my skin making me shudder. "I don't want to go," I shifted my eyes to Rachel and Brittany, they both looked bored already...

_Ugh, I didn't want to disappoint them._

"No, San... I'm _ordering_ you to go have fun with Brittany," I whispered back. She hesitantly nodded before making her way back to the other blonde-haired girl. I ignored the unfamiliar feeling that filled my stomach after seeing Brittany splay one of her arms over my guardian's shoulders and lead her out of the room, out of my sight.

"Okay, now that you're free, we can get the _real_ party started," Rachel declared smugly and I gulped... I tried to shake away the nerves and appear confident though.

"Bring it."

* * *

Santana has been gone for about an hour and I spent that time drinking with Rachel and her friends. I met even more cheerleaders and a couple of football players. Oddly enough, it seemed like I was actually making friends of my own.

"Quinn, one more?" Finn Hudson, Rachel's boyfriend, tried to hand me another shot glass filled with vodka or something. I shook my head, no, I couldn't take anymore. My head was already spinning and my body felt kind of numb. "Alright, Rach, I think Quinn has had enough..."

"What? Nonsense, she can keep going," Rachel grabbed the shot glass and handed it to me. "Just keep going, Quinn."

I nodded before knocking it back. "Okaaay, I'm seriously done," I put both of my hands up and tried walking to the living room to look for Santana. "Saaan, where—" I stopped my slurring when I felt two hands grab my waist from behind.

"You want to dance?" Some jock whispered into my ear, I looked back to say 'no',but I saw Rachel in the background putting one of her thumbs up, telling me to concede. I gave the guy a forced smile and nodded; he was pretty cute anyway and it really wouldn't hurt my reputation to hang out with the popular kids some more.

We went to the living room and I spotted Santana on some couch with Brittany beside her. _Rather_, the blonde Cheerio was half on top of my guardian. She was resting her legs on Santana's lap and I felt a pang of _something_ in my chest.

Her brown eyes were already on me when I saw her; she was glaring at the jock behind me, but I made a motion with my hand, gesturing something like_ 'don't worry, I'm fine'_. She stayed put, but she looked like she was ready to kill the guy if anything went wrong. I saw Brittany cup her cheek, trying to get back my guardian's attention. I sighed and tried to ignore them and just focus on dancing with- _Mike_? I wasn't really sure what his name was, but oh well, he was a pretty good dancer.

I just allowed the alcohol and the music to control my body... It wasn't that difficult anyway. Earth dances aren't that elaborate nor graceful. Mike and I were dancing for about 10 minutes when he tried to kiss me, but I turned away. My eyes landed on Santana and Brittany; it seemed like the blonde tried to kiss her too, _Brittany was successful in her endeavor though_.

I watched as their lips met for a rather chaste kiss. I felt my stomach flip and I broke away from the jock's hold, but then he tried to grab me again. "No, I don't—" I couldn't even finish my sentence because the next thing I knew, Santana was standing beside us.

"Hey buddy, I think I heard her say no... So I suggest that you get your hands off of her," she said it calmly, but there was this frightening edge in her tone. I watched silently as Mike raised both of his hands up in the air before dejectedly leaving the living room. "You okay, Quinn?"

I nodded before burying my face into her neck, seeking comfort. "I want to go home, I don't want to be—" I wasn't able to finish what I was saying again, but this time- it was worse... No one cut me off- _it was __my vomit that interrupted me this time around_. I began spewing my stomach contents all over Santana's front. "I'm so sorry," I slurred out before falling onto her.

I felt her shake her head before placing one of her arms on the back of my knees and lifting me up. She carried me out of the party and into the car. And then I completely blacked out, falling into a dreamless sleep...

* * *

"Crap," I groaned loudly as soon as I opened my eyes. I could only remember bits and pieces of last night and my head was absolutely killing me. I wasn't even sure how I made it up to my bedroom last night...

I lifted the sheets and saw that I was wearing sweats and a shirt. My cheeks started burning in an instant... _Santana must have put those on me- o__h crap, Santana... _I was sure that my guardian was going to be really pissed off because of what happened last night. I slowly made my way out of bed and down the stairs, I could smell food, but I wasn't feeling hungry.

_I actually still felt like puking- gross._

I made my way into the kitchen, where Santana was cooking pancakes. "Morning," I greeted her with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"Good morning to you too."

"My head is killing me..."

She walked up to me and handed me two pills. "Take those, they'll help with the pain," I nodded before washing both of the pills down with some orange juice. "You hungry?"

"Not at all."

"So much for promising to avoid being stupid, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Why did you drink so much, Quinn? I told you to take it easy, but you just kept going... Then you vomited all over me, I had to carry you out of there and make sure you got to bed okay."

"I never asked you to do any of those things," I spat back, trying to ignore the embarrassment I felt after hearing what happened. "You don't have to look out for me all the time if you don't want to," I was cranky and hungover thus the attitude.

"What do you mean I don't have to look out for you? I'm your guardian, Quinn... _It's my job_!"

"That's all I am to you, right? A job."

"Where is all of this coming from?"

"You know what, you can't really blame me for getting wasted, you let it happen," I shrugged, completely ignoring her question. "You didn't stop me, rather you spent the whole night making out with Brittany- isn't that right?"

"Quinn, you ordered me to go with her, _remember_?" She switched off the stove before angrily throwing the pan into the sink and the cooked food into the trashcan. "_Damn it_, okay, fine, it's all my fault then... I suck at this guardian-stuff, alright?"

She didn't even give me a chance to reply; she walked out of the kitchen, then headed to the special room, where she kept all of her training equipment. I sat there by the counter for a few more minutes, mentally replaying our whole conversation... I wasn't sure why I was being such a brat, but last night was horrible, and I just wanted to vent out all of my frustrations.

I felt incredibly guilty after a while though, I knew Santana didn't deserve to be treated the way that I was treating her... _  
_

I sighed and then followed after her; I knocked first before opening the door of her training room. She was standing in the middle of the space, hitting and kicking a punching bag- really hard. _Probably pretending it was me? _I cleared my throat, but she didn't even glance at me.

"Santana?" I tried, but she continued to blatantly ignore me. "Santana, _I'm sorry_." The only reply I got in return was the sound of her limbs meeting the punching bag, over and over again. "You don't suck as a guardian, _I suck as a princess_."

She froze for a second, but then began throwing even harder punches and kicks. I cautiously made my way towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me with such a cold expression; her features stonily unreadable.

"Not now, Quinn."

I opened my mouth to object, but quickly closed it. I knew she was angry and I didn't want to push her even more... I left the room and went back up to my bedroom, hiding under the sheets and blaming myself for messing everything up.


	2. Chapter 2

**C2**

After a couple hours of hiding, my stomach grumbled, begging me to finally eat something. I let my eyelids slowly droop close again as I let out a deep sigh... I then groaned before defeatedly kicking off the bedcovers and mentally preparing myself to see Santana again.

_Why was I so mean to her a while ago? _

I didn't know the answer to that question... Well, I wasn't entirely sure of the answer, but I had a couple of guesses. It could've been the hangover, it could've also been the fact that I'm tired of her treating me like a child, or it could've been my jealousy.

It was most probably the third one though... It's just that when I saw Santana that morning, the painful image of her lips meeting Brittany's came rushing back and it made me angry- _it made me angry at myself_. But honestly, I couldn't yell at myself without appearing insane, thus I chose to divert and project my frustrations toward my guardian despite her innocence. _  
_

Although my earlier actions undoubtedly aided in venting out my rage, I knew they were inexcusable and the resulting guilt was eating me alive...

I took a deep breath before exiting my room and heading down the stairs. I checked the kitchen first and I felt even worse when I saw that there was already food for me on the counter. _Even when she's mad at me, she takes care of me_, I remarked to myself sadly. I sat on one of the stools and ate while thinking about the best way to show Santana that I was sincerely sorry.

_To simply apologize doesn't seem enough..._

Once I finished eating, I brought the plate to the sink and began washing it.

"You don't have to do that, _princess_," I felt my heart drop for a split second because Santana was _really_ good at sneaking up on people. I ignored what she said though and finished rinsing the plate before putting it inside the dishwasher. "Next time, just leave it, I'll do it for you," I shook my head because plates were the least of our worries right now.

I took a deep breath and turned around to face her. "Santana,_ I'm sorry_," I said softly as I walked towards her, I stopped before I got _too close_ though. "I really didn't mean the things I said this morning and I wish I could take it all back," I sighed weightily, but maintained eye contact with her. "I couldn't have asked for a better guardian, okay? You're the _best_ and I'm sorry for making you think otherwise..."

"Princess, you don't have to apologize to me," she shrugged her shoulders before turning around.

"Don't walk away from me," I said it so quietly, I was sure she didn't hear it. It was Santana though, so of course she heard it... She was instantly facing me again; a cold expression once again masking her face. "I'm sorry, okay? Just please let it go... I like how we are with each other and I don't want my stupidity to change anything."

"Your words had to come from somewhere though, and I feel like I failed in a way... You were right, I should have stopped you last night before it was too late- _but I didn't_. I should have been smarter and stayed with you rather than enjoy some Earthling's company..."

I felt that strange pang in my chest again._ She enjoyed Brittany's company? Quinn, you're an idiot. _I bit my lip to stop myself from saying something too raw, something that would make her aware of my secret dilemma. It was silent for a while, but I spoke up when Santana opened her mouth again- _no, it was my turn to talk_.

"It's not your fault. I ordered you to stay with Brittany, I wanted to impress Rachel and the others... None of it was your fault, alright? I guess you were right, I wasn't ready for a human party," I felt tears prickling my eyes and I found it idiotic that I was getting so emotional over something so small.

"Hey,_ Quinn_," Santana interrupted gently and I felt relief wash over me because she started using my name again. "Okay, let's just forget what happened. It doesn't matter anymore..." She closed the distance between us and wrapped her arms around me for a friendly hug. "Let's pretend that none of it happened."

"Yes, _please_," I nodded before burying my face into her neck. I took a deep breath and allowed her scent to calm me down; I didn't care if our fight only lasted a couple of hours. I couldn't stand the thought of her being angry with me, I needed her...

In my eyes, she wasn't just my guardian, and I was really hoping that in her eyes, I wasn't just a job.

* * *

"San?" My chosen guardian looked up from the notebook she was scribbling on and tilted her head to the side. "I wanted to talk to you about something," I started nervously and she nodded, closing her notebook and giving me her full attention. The cafeteria was busy and it was noisy, but I could still hear the thumping in my chest. "Try-outs for Cheerios are tomorrow and I know you don't really like them, but I want to join... Before you say anything, I really think that I _need _to be part of the Cheerios."

"That's a strong word, Quinn," Santana sighed and I bit my lip because I didn't want this to cause an argument. "I won't stop you from joining though, I admit that I don't like them as a group, but some of them are bearable and if being part of the Cheerios is necessary for you, then there's nothing I can do about it..."

"So Brittany is bearable? She's the only Cheerio you actually talk to," I scoffed before rolling my eyes. "I wanted to discuss things with you, but fine, if you don't care then—"

"It's not that I don't care because we both know that I care about you immensely. I just don't see the point of us arguing over something that you already decided on."

"I just don't want to be ordinary, alright?" I whispered out angrily before resting my chin on the lunch table. "I'm not used to being just someone no one knows and I miss having a higher spot in the hierarchy of things. I lost my home and I'm being forced to stay in some crappy planet for almost three years... I want to try to enjoy my life even a little bit."

"See, you already decided, Quinn," Santana shrugged and I looked up at her. "I'll support you, okay? I understand where you're coming from and that's why I'm not going to stop you... I'll just have to talk to Sue and make some special requests."

"Sue as in Coach Sylvester?"

"Yeah, she's actually one of our contacts here on Earth... Didn't the elders tell you this?" She raised an eyebrow at me and I shook my head. "I don't understand why they didn't inform you about anything before we left, but _yes_, Sue Sylvester is the one who fixed everything for us here in Ohio."

"That explains why she isn't like any other human being..." I thought about my brief encounters with the strange coach; she seemed intimidating yet kind. Well, in the way she looked at me, I could see kindness in her eyes. Probably because she knew who I was... "Are you sure you're okay with me trying out though? Who knows, I might not even get in," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood of our conversation.

"Quinn, you started learning Agron gymnastics when you were five and Sue Sylvester is an ally of our people... _You will get in_, I don't doubt that."

"When you talk to Sue, please tell her that I don't want any special treatment, and also thank her for everything she's done for me."

"Sure."

"Are you going to _umm-_ join too?" I asked softly and my cheeks turned pink when Santana began laughing- like _full-on_ laughing at me. "What's so funny?"

"Do I look like the cheerleader-type?" She asked in an amused tone and I playfully glared at her. "No, but I'll be close by, the Cheerios and the soccer team have the same practice schedule, so I'll be around..."

"Soccer team?"

"Yeah, I kind of figured that you would want to join the Cheerios after Rachel's party, so I researched a bit to find something to keep me occupied while you're in practice," Santana shrugged and I grinned at her thoughtfulness. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Nothing, I'm just imagining you in red shorts," I chuckled and Santana opened her mouth to say something, but the school bell went off and we both got up to go to class.

* * *

The sun was intense that day; the actual _'try-outs part'_ hasn't even started yet, but everyone was already sweating bullets. All the hopefuls were standing in front of Coach Sylvester as her beady eyes meticulously inspected each one of us. It was so quiet, eerily so... I actually wanted to stop breathing at one point because taking in oxygen seemed like unnecessary noise.

Coach turned around and faced away from us and an audible sigh of relief was heard. "Too early to feel relieved, rookie," I heard coach say in an emotionless tone before blowing her whistle. "10 laps to start things off!"

After the exhausting laps, we had to perform all the stunts we were _sure_ we could execute, then she made us dance in front of her twice individually- one was choreographed and the other was freestyle. I was dying after everything; my breathing was shallow and my legs felt like jelly.

"I'm surprised only two of you fainted, but just because you survived today doesn't mean you're in, got it? Now go home, you all reek of mediocrity," she then blew her whistle and the group groaned collectively before slowly walking away from her.

The atmosphere was even sadder since we weren't even allowed to shower on campus; only _actual_ Cheerios had the privilege of utilizing the school shower rooms.

"You look like you're in pain," Santana appeared beside me from out of nowhere and I clutched at my chest, clearly surprised. "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you," she smiled before reaching for my training bag.

"We both know the truth, San... _You love doing that_," I shook my head and let out a tired chuckle. "No, I'm not in pain, don't worry... I'm just a bit sore."

"Okay," Santana walked in front of me and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "Hop on."

"What?"

"I don't see the point of making you walk to the car, I'm perfectly capable of carrying you," she shrugged her shoulders before bending a little. "Let's go, Quinn."

"I don't think that will be _necessa_—"

"Fine," I blinked and Santana was behind me, lifting me up bridal style. "This will be even easier for you," she winked at me and I tried to fight her hold, but I was too tired and it felt good not to stand, so I ultimately let her carry me. "Plus, I didn't park that close, so I doubt you would have enjoyed having to walk all the way to the car."

"That makes sense," I replied while yawning and leaning even further into Santana's hold. We were almost out of the field when a familiar voice filled the air...

"Try-outs were a killer, huh?" I heard Rachel say; I could already tell that she was smirking from the sound of her voice. I motioned for Santana to put me down, but she shook her head. "Aww, Quinny, did coach work you guys too hard? I wish I could've been there, but we're not allowed to cancel real practice for anything, not even try-outs."

Santana finally turned around, so we were actually facing Rachel and Brittany; the blonde hasn't uttered anything yet. She was just staring at me in my guardian's arms.

"She's just a bit tired, Rachel... She'll be fine," Santana said coldly and I nodded because I wasn't sure what else to say. "Hey, Brittany," my guardian added with a dopey grin and I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes; the blonde gave Santana a small wave in return. "We're going to go now, _see you two around_..."

With that, she faced the other way again and began carrying me to the car once more.

I fell asleep in her arms before we even reached the parking lot.

* * *

Unlike during try-outs, the actual Cheerios were present this time around. I found out that as soon as coach said you were in, you were expected to train with the team... I felt nervous, but I was also kind of confident; I spent my whole life as a gymnast- I should have some confidence in myself, right?

"Honestly, I wouldn't let any of you in... It was a sad sight, seeing all of you fail miserably last Wednesday, but competitions require a certain number of cheerleaders, so I'm forced to allow _some of you_ into my team," Coach let out a dramatic sigh before reading off names from her clipboard. "Motta, Bale, Jones, Rivers, Morris, Hathaway, Robin... If I didn't mention your surname, get off my field- _now_."

Girls started running off in tears and a wave of relief washed over me. I was waiting for her to say Fabray, but then I remembered that my last name was 'Rivers' on this planet... I let a small smile play on my lips, but I quickly wiped it off when Rachel approached me. "Congratulations, Quinn and good luck," she winked at me before running off and leading the team around the field for laps.

We ran a total of 12 laps around the oval and I tried my best not to seem tired after all of the running... Brittany then proceeded to teach us some tiring albeit interesting choreography. Once we were able to successfully get through the routine five times without fail, coach finally gave us our much-needed water break.

I sat on the grass and greedily drank from my water bottle; I looked at the other side of the field and saw a familiar figure.

_Santana was so cute in those black soccer shorts... _

I knew she'd look absolutely adorable in the red ones McKinley would surely give her. I watched with a proud smile on my face as Santana dribbled the ball and effortlessly went through the opposing team until she had a clear shot. She then scored a flawless goal like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"How long has she been playing?"

I looked to my left and saw Brittany standing there; she seemed to be as captivated as I was with the sight of Santana playing soccer. "A while," I replied vaguely because I wasn't sure what the back story of the soccer-thing was yet. "She's _so_ gonna get in the team..."

"I'm sure, she's amazing out there," Brittany commented in awe before sitting down beside me. She took a swig from her own water bottle and took in a deep breath before facing me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uhh, I'm not sure... Won't the water break be over soon? I don't want you to get cut off or whatever." Honestly, I just really didn't want to talk to Brittany. I didn't like Brittany for obvious reasons... Yes, she was nice, but for me, she was _too nice- _especially to Santana.

And I didn't like that... Not at all.

"We have about 5 more minutes left, one water break that lasts 7 minutes every practice," Brittany informed me in a friendly tone and I nodded slightly; she took the action as a sign to continue with what she was saying. "I'm just gonna ask you directly, okay? Are you dating Santana?"

"Rachel already asked me _that_, and I said no... I'm not dating Santana," I said the statement quietly, trying not to let my disappointment show. "We're just friends."

"Do you want to?" Her question made me raise an eyebrow. _What?_ I quickly shook my head in denial- _I don't want to because I can't_. "Good, _cause I do_," Brittany smiled at me and I did everything I could to stop myself from reacting immaturely. "I mean, if it's okay with you..."

"Why me? If ever you two start dating, it should be up to Santana," I shrugged my shoulders and looked at coach, hoping the break would be over soon.

I hated the conversation I was having with Brittany- absolutely hated it.

"Cause you're her best friend and I know she cares about you a lot, I just wanted your permission before I tried anything," Brittany grinned at me and I looked away before nodding. "Are you sure?" I nodded again and she let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Quinn."

With that, she got up and headed to the rest of the team; the sound of coach's whistle followed shortly after.

* * *

"Guess who the new striker of McKinley high is?" Santana asked me with a proud smirk; practice just ended and my guardian crossed the field to pick me up. I pointed at her and she nodded.

"Congratulations, San."

"Thanks and congratulations to you too... How was practice?" She asked before grabbing my bag from me and placing it on her free shoulder. "I knew you would get in," she told me confidently and I smiled at her.

"It was okay, I guess..."

"You got what you wanted."

"Not really," I mumbled out and she looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I quickly shook my head though and began walking to the parking lot. We got into the car and the ride home was pretty much silent, I wasn't sure what was going on exactly, but after my conversation with Brittany, I didn't feel so good.

Brittany hasn't even done anything yet and I was already so affected... Just the thought of her being able to be with Santana in 'a way that I wasn't allowed to' made me so angry. Santana was mine, she was born to protect me.

_That made her mine, right?_

I wouldn't stop my guardian from dating other people though... Well, if she wanted to, that is. She already sacrificed so much for me, I didn't want to take anything else away from her, I wasn't _that_ selfish- or at least, I didn't want to be.

* * *

At the dinner table later that night, I decided to talk to Santana about Brittany. I was growing more and more curious... I knew she liked Brittany as a friend, but I wanted to know if the blonde had a fighting chance with my guardian. "Santana?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about Brittany Pierce?"

"She's nice, I can see true innocence in her eyes," Santana said with a faraway smile and I felt my stomach twist into knots. "Why, is this about the kiss at Rachel's party? I know you saw that, Quinn, and I apologize... Don't worry, I won't let her distract me from my mission."

_That's not really what I'm worried about... _

The only thing that was really bothering me was my jealousy.

"No, it's not that," I sighed cryptically before using my fork to move the food around my plate. "She just came up to me during practice and asked me about us... She asked me if we were dating," I forced out a chuckle and Santana's eyes widened. "I don't know why they all think we're dating, Rachel also asked me the same thing."

"Maybe, I should act differently around you," Santana said and I shook my head fervently.

_No. _

"Don't do that, okay? I like how we are and I don't care what people think about _us_." She nodded in understanding and I smiled. "Back to Brittany though, I told her we weren't dating, and then she kind of asked for my permission to date you..."

Santana's fork fell from her hand and I could see another smile- a bigger one- playing on her lips. It made me feel absolutely sick inside. She quickly composed herself, but the damage was done. _She likes Brittany too... _I stopped myself from scowling by taking a long sip from my glass. "What did you tell her?"

"That if it's okay with you, then go for it... It really isn't any of my business anyway."

"Quinn, I wouldn't date her... It's just a nice feeling knowing that someone like Brittany _admires_ me," her lips curled into a tell-tale smirk and I rolled my eyes. _I admire you too, you idiot. _"I wasn't sent to Earth to date human beings though, I was sent here to protect you, and I wouldn't let anything distract me from doing so."

"You already gave up so much for me, so if dating Brittany would make you happy, _you should_. I don't want to be selfish..." I was actually proud of myself for not allowing my bitterness to show. "You're not the one who is bound by law to marry someone back in Agron," I forced out a sad chuckle and Santana frowned.

"Quinn, listen to me, I'd gladly give up anything for you; everything I do is for you, and you're not being selfish- _not at all_. It's an honor to serve the princess of my people," she told me with an honest smile. "Also, once we're back in Agron, I'm sure you will find a suitable man to become the king of our planet..."

I just nodded before excusing myself from the table and sadly heading to my bedroom. I knew it was inevitable; it was a sad reality, but my life has already been planned out. _Written before I was even_ _born... _Once balance is restored back in Agron, I have to follow tradition; marry a noble man and rule the planet with him by my side.

Whenever I envisioned my future though, I didn't see some man beside me...

I always saw Santana, _I always saw my chosen guardian_.

* * *

_There are worse things in life than not having a 'crush' like you back. _

I kept telling myself _that _over and over again; hoping that it would eventually enter my head somehow. I even started hating the way Santana made me feel, I started hating it because it was a constant reminder that she was perfect- _just not perfect for me_. There were certain Agron expectations that I wouldn't be able to meet if ever I succumbed to my feelings for my guardian. It was a forbidden relationship, one that I needed to erase from my brain...

It was impossible.

It couldn't happen.

_It shouldn't happen._

It's just that there was this certain minuscule thought in my mind that was persistently nagging me. It was the idea that I already gave _so much_ up for my planet. I lost my family, my home, my whole life as I knew it...

_Wasn't all of that enough? Couldn't I just allow myself to be happy even for a while? _

I was perfectly aware of my responsibilities as the princess of Agron, but I wasn't a robot, I didn't have the ability to shut off my feelings whenever it was convenient for me.

That's why I had to constantly endure the torture known as _'unrequited love'. Okay, maybe it wasn't necessarily 'love' yet, but it was something.._. Seriously, how can you not develop feelings for someone who regularly made you feel like you were the only being that mattered in their eyes?

It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all.

I sometimes even imagined how things would be if Santana were a boy...

_Would the situation have been more acceptable? _

I knew she still wouldn't have royal blood flowing in her veins, but we could've had a child without the aid of technology; a child that was _completely ours_.

Same sex relationships were accepted on my planet; they were almost as normal as heterosexual relationships. My people had no problem with the idea of a male falling for a male, or a female falling for a female- _love was love_. The only beings on Agron that were limited in that aspect were those in line for the throne because it was their responsibility to keep the bloodline immaculately pure.

There were ways for homosexual couples to have children, but they weren't traditional, thus taboo in the already planned-out lives of Agron royalty.

Honestly... It sucked being trapped by laws and codes that dictated every stage of my life. I may have been the savior of Agron, the most important being of my generation, but having that title didn't give me the power to escape the prison that my responsibilities placed me in. It actually reinforced the walls, relentlessly reminding me that I couldn't allow anything or _anyone_ to distract me from my main purpose in life.

The problem is that even if I didn't know what my sexual orientation was... I knew what I felt for Santana was more than just something platonic. And the fact that I couldn't get rid of the feelings that she drowned me in- _without even trying, if I may add_- secretly scared me more than facing the Mildan king did.

* * *

"Well, you look cute," I blurted out while allowing my eyes to trace Santana's body, which was dressed in the red McKinley soccer uniform. "I mean, you look, _um—_" I felt burning heat rise to my cheeks as I struggled to talk properly. "_Ugh,_ I mean, you look good in your uniform, San..."

"Thanks, Quinn," she grinned at me before adjusting her shorts' waistband. "I'm not exactly comfortable, but I think I'll be able to manage..." She shrugged her shoulders before picking up her training bag that was on the floor. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my backpack," I walked over to the couch and slung my bag over one shoulder before following Santana out of the door and into our car.

It was Santana's first big soccer game and even if she was desperately trying not to show it... I knew she was feeling nervous. She was more fidgety than usual and her restlessness was just plain adorable. I wasn't worried at all though; I've seen Santana play enough to know that she was naturally and amazingly gifted in the Earthlings' sport. Her talent easily surpassed those of her teammates, which is why she was appointed as team captain even if she just started this year.

She was _that_ amazing at soccer.

We parked the car in McKinley's parking lot and even if I refused, Santana carried my bag along with hers while we both made our way to the field. "What's in this thing? It's so light," Santana reached for the zipper, but my quick and loud _'no'_ stopped her from opening the backpack. "Okay..." She said unsurely and I flashed her a sheepish grin in response before taking my bag away from her; she opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.

"We're here," I pointed to the field before slipping the backpack on my shoulders. "Good luck, San," I gave her a quick hug; her scent completely taking over my senses during the few seconds of close contact. "I'll be in the front row like we agreed and I'll make sure that you'd be able to see me during the entire game..."

"Alright, cheer for me?"

I smiled at her adorableness before nodding. "Of course, silly. Now go and win this thing for me!"

Santana quickly ran toward the rest of her team and I took a split second to admire her butt in those red shorts; _I really like that uniform. _Like I promised, I sat in the front row, in the exact seat Santana told me to stay in. I was a bit anxious like I usually was whenever Santana wasn't right beside me, but it was bearable.

The referee's whistle echoed through the air and the game started. It was the opposing team's ball and their striker was fast; she went through the McKinley high defenders without trouble and she swiftly kicked the ball towards our goal. The goalie was quick and skilled enough to catch it though, kicking it to Santana as soon as she could.

Santana easily gained control of the soccer ball and she made her way towards the opposite goal; and once she had a clear shot, she took it. I jumped in my seat and screamed for my chosen guardian as soon as she made the goal.

During the start of the second half, the game was tied- _1 all_. Santana was great, but the team they were against was collectively much better; McKinley's soccer team actually sucked badly before Santana came into the picture. I took in a deep breath before unzipping my backpack, I brought out the pompoms I made just for the event and I swallowed the lump in my throat before standing up and shouting out my guardian's name.

She instantly snapped her head towards me and I watched proudly as a grin appeared on her face. "Win for me!" I yelled out before I started with my impromptu albeit discreet cheer routine.

I watched as Santana effortlessly made her way up the field, through the much larger defenders of the opposite team, she stopped the ball in front of a defender who was blocking her view of the goalie. She faced me and shot me a wink before faking movement to her left, but going to her right and getting past the goalie's shield. She kicked the ball _hard_ and it collided the white net in mere seconds; I then began screaming my lungs out, not really caring about the people around me anymore.

_That was for me! She scored for me!_

The game ended at 2-1, and it was McKinley's first real win in the past two years. Everyone was ecstatic because it was also the first game of the season- _an amazing start_. The rest of the team lifted Santana up in the air, but I watched as she told them to quickly let her down.

As soon as her feet were back on the ground, she jogged over to me.

I ran down the bleachers, towards her, and jumped up in the air. She smoothly caught me and I unknowingly wrapped my legs around her waist to keep myself steady in her arms. "You were amazing out there, Santana," I beamed at her before locking my arms around her neck and hugging her tight.

"Thanks, Quinn... I loved the whole cheering-thing by the way," she pulled back a little to look me in the eye. "That was probably the only reason I got to score that last goal."

"Shut up,_ that was all you_," I blushed before looking away. "I just though that since the Cheerios don't cheer for you guys, you should at least have one cheerleader."

"I'm glad we got the best one then," I punched her lightly in the shoulder and she chuckled. "Quinn?" I turned back to face her so rapidly that my lips softly brushed against hers for a few milliseconds. "I umm- _you should_- I mean, I should probably put you down now," she stuttered out before placing me back on my feet.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, not even attempting to hide the raging pink tint that was coating my cheeks.

"Let's go home?" I said in a higher tone than usual and Santana nodded before pointing towards the team's gear and retrieving her bag. We grabbed my backpack too before making our way back to the car and driving home. The silence in the air allowing me to focus on what happened even more-_ that was just an accident right?_

It was just all the adrenaline from the win...

_We're fine, we're okay, we're alright._

* * *

I was both glad and disappointed that the _kinda-not-really-kiss_ was being ignored by Santana and I.

As if that fraction of a second of absolute bliss never happened...

It was obviously an accident; something we both didn't intend to take place. But just because I didn't mean for it to happen didn't mean I didn't want it to... Nor did it mean that I didn't like it.

A part of me unreservedly despised the incident though because it made me even more curious about how things would be like if Santana was not only my guardian but also my _lover_.

The infinite possibilities.

It was driving me insane actually... I've never been _so_ tempted by something I couldn't obtain- _something so wrong yet so alluring at the same time_. I learned recently that a large number of human beings deal with drug addictions. Cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and other narcotic substances are present on this planet; making people rely on the effects they produce.

In a sense, Santana was my own personal drug... Based on my understanding of the term _'drug addiction'_, I concluded that a drug was something that temporarily took you away from the world you were living in. That's exactly what Santana's presence did for me; she was my escape.

She stopped me from thinking about the fact that I was stuck on what was probably one of the crappiest planets in the galaxy. She stopped me from thinking about the future and my inevitable fight with the Mildan king. She stopped me from thinking about what was going to happen once all of this was over.

Santana was my escape from all of my fears and my worries.

_And I was absolutely addicted to her._

* * *

"Keep yourself steady, Rivers," Rachel barked at me; her voice resonating in the air because of the megaphone she was yelling into. "Smile, girls... You all look so _constipated. _Remember, a star team must always look their very best," she smirked out before inspecting her nails. "Hold the pyramid for 3 more minutes, then you can all have your pathetic water break..."

It was silent; omitting the sound of heavy breathing that came from all of the Cheerios. My shoulders were hurting and my muscles were aching, but I stayed strong... _Refusing to give Rachel the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. _As soon as the sound of a whistle filled the air, relieved groans were heard from everyone; my teammates limped over to the benches to finally get something to drink and a few minutes of rest.

I collapsed onto the grass, guzzling most of the contents of my water bottle in seconds.

"Hey, Quinn," Brittany piped from nowhere before sitting down beside me; I looked at her using my peripheral vision, wondering how she was still so _okay_... She didn't look tired at all and her breathing was more or less even. "Are you alright? Rachel is being kind of intense today..."

"I'm fine," I breathed out before gulping down some more water. "Just a little tired."

"You'll be fine, I think she's just being mean 'cause she wants to condition everyone for competition season." The blonde shrugged her shoulders before looking away. I didn't even have to follow her gaze, I already knew what she was staring at- _or_ _rather... Who. _"I heard she killed it during their first game, I wish I watched."

"Yeah, she was amazing."

"Rachel told me to ask her to Homecoming," Brittany announced in a tone that made it sound like stealing my guardian from me was no big deal at all. "And since you told me it was fine to date her... And since I also kinda really, _really_ like her... I told Rachel I'd do it. But umm—" For the first time ever, Brittany Pierce sounded unsure of what she was going to say next; seemingly anxious. "Do you think she's going to say yes, Quinn? I'm just sorta scared that she'll reject me or something..."

I sighed because I could clearly see what Santana meant about Brittany being so _genuine_; it made it harder for me to dislike her. I sat up and finally looked at the blonde's face properly. "I don't know for sure, but I don't see any reason why she would reject you."

"Really?"

"_Really_."

She let out a sigh of relief before a wide grin took over her face. "I usually just go for it, I mean- if I like someone, I wouldn't even hesitate to date that person but Santana's different... Like she's _really_ different, I don't know what it is about her, but it messes up my game," Brittany chuckled. "All I know for sure is that I'm gonna regret it if I don't at least try, so whatever, let's just see what happens... 'Cause God knows I've never been _this_ interested in someone before."

"That's great, Brittany," I forced out and she shot me a sincere smile. The 7-minute break was finally over and we both returned to our positions; the thought of Brittany going to Homecoming with Santana as her date distracted me from the pain in my limbs for the rest of the session.

Santana should be _my _date, not Brittany's.

It just wasn't fair...

* * *

"I seriously hate him, he doesn't even know how to teach," Santana complained while we were walking through the halls of McKinley. "I could teach the lesson better and this is the first time I've ever encountered human sciences..." I just kept nodding absentmindedly; my focus was elsewhere. We walked up to my locker and I began weakly placing in my things, I felt Santana's hand on my arm and I looked at her. "Is something bothering you, Quinn?"

"No, I'm okay," I lied with a shrug of my shoulders. I finished fixing my belongings and I closed the locker's door, I was about to walk away, but Santana's arms trapped me in between her body and the metal compartments behind me. "San, let's go..."

"Quinn, you've been acting so strange lately and I can't take seeing you like this anymore... I need to know what's wrong, just tell me what's going on, so I can help with whatever it is."

"Nothing's wrong, alright?"

"Princess, I'm here to serve you... Feel free to tell me _anything,_" Santana said sincerely before brushing some strands of my hair away from my face. "Please talk to me..."

"It's just that_ I think I_—" I stuttered out; my face falling as soon as I saw Brittany tapping my guardian's shoulder from behind. "Never mind," I conclude abruptly before pointing at the blue-eyed blonde. "Hey, Brittany."

"Hey, Quinn," she grinned at me and Santana finally turned around. My guardian saw the single flower that the other blonde was holding and raised an eyebrow curiously- _I knew what was about to happen though. _"Santana, hi," Brittany squeaked out before clearing her throat. "I picked this for you," she thrusted the lone flower into my guardian's hands and Santana smiled before mumbling out a quick _'Thanks, Britt'. _"I was also wondering if you were free on the 29th?"

"I'm not sure... Why?" _Santana was just so damn clueless sometimes... _It wasn't cute, nope- _not at all_. "Did you need help with something, Britt?"

"Kinda?" Brittany replied in a confused tone before shaking her head. "I mean, that's the night of Homecoming... And I was wondering if you would like to be my date for the dance? I promise that it'll be super fun."

"I, uh- you're asking me to be your date?" Santana asked, clearly flustered. "I'm not sure if I—" I whispered out an extremely quiet _'go' _before she could finish her sentence, knowing my guardian's enhanced hearing would allow her to hear it. Her brown eyes shifted to me, confirming my assumption; I gave her the slightest nod before she faced Brittany again. "Um, I'd love to go with you, Britt."

"_Really_?" The blonde let out a huge sigh of relief before wrapping her arms around my guardian and pulling her into a tight hug... I tried to keep myself in check, but the jealousy that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach was making me see green. _I felt sick. _It seemed to take forever for the embrace to end; and when it finally did, the smile Santana was wearing caused a sharp pang to go through my chest. "I'll see you then."

"See you, Britt..." With that, Brittany skipped off, obviously ecstatic because of what happened. I was miserable inside though- _absolutely miserable_. Even the mere thought of seeing them as each other's dates made me feel a sensation similar to physical pain. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I told you that you were free to date whoever you wanted, Santana," I said with no emotion in my voice whatsoever. Santana opened her mouth to reply, but the bell rang, cutting her off. "I'll see you later, have fun in Science," I was walking away when she gripped my wrist, halting my movements. "I'm going to be late..."

"You don't want me to walk you to class?"

"No, I don't need you—" I paused and Sananta's eyes noticeably widened. "... To walk me to class, _I can handle it_."

"Okay then," she loosened her hold on me and I watched as her shoulders fall due to the rejection. "I'll meet you after..." I just flashed her a tightlipped smile before turning around and walking to my next class without sparing my guardian another glance.

* * *

"Psst," I tried ignoring the recurring sound, but it eventually became too annoying to disregard. "_Psst_," I finally looked back and saw a boy with light blonde hair grinning at me. "Hey there."

"Hi?" I replied confusedly and he waved. "Okay..." I drawled out before starting to face the blackboard again.

"Wait!" He whisper-shouted and I looked at him again; annoyance clearly showing on my features. "I was wondering if you wanted to be my date?"

"What?"

"You know, Homecoming... It's next week and I was thinking we could go together," he shrugged his left shoulder cooly before flipping his hair to one side. "You're a cheerleader and I'm a football player, I think we'd look good together."

"I don't even know your name."

"Let's change that," he extended a hand towards me, which I hesitatingly albeit politely shook. "Sam Evans."

"Quinn _Fa-_Rivers," I concealed my almost slip-up with a fake cough. "I'm Quinn Rivers."

"Cool, so... Homecoming?" An idea popped into my head and I felt a smile playing on my lips... _If Santana can go to Homecoming with a blonde, then I can go to Homecoming with a blonde._ "I'll treat you right, I promise."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, but we'll have to double date with my best friend."

"Yeah, I'm cool with that," Sam beamed before pumping his fist in the air. "Give me your number, so I can text you _ab_—"

"Mr Evans, something you would like share with the class?"

"Yeah," Sam answered casually causing me to look at him with wide eyes. "Quinn over here just agreed to go with me to Homecoming." The noise of a couple of cheers and applauses filled the room and I looked down at my desk embarrassedly.

"Congratulations, I hope planning your date will keep you occupied during detention." The teacher smirked and Sam finally zipped his lips. The rest of the lecture transpired without anything else out of the ordinary happening... When I walked out of the room, Santana was already there waiting for me; leaning on a wall, looking slightly distressed.

"Hey, San," I greeted my guardian happily, trying to erase all of the awkwardness from our last encounter.

"Hi."

"Let's go _ho_—"

"Quinn, _here_," Sam came up to us and handed me his phone. "Put in your number, so I can text you..." I slowly typed in my number; a bit panicky since Santana was watching the whole exchange. I gave Sam back his phone and he grinned. "Thanks! I've got practice in a while, so I'll just see you soon, _Homecoming date_," he winked at me before running off.

"Who was that?" Santana asked with an unreadable expression masking her face.

"Sam Evans... My, _um_," I cleared my throat. "My date to Homecoming."

"I see," Santana said nonchalantly before reaching for my school bag and walking in the direction of the parking lot.

_Ouch._

* * *

"San?" I knocked on the ajar door of Santana's training room before swinging it completely open and peering inside. "Are you busy?"

She looked up from whatever it was that she was tinkering with, shook her her head and got up from the chair. "I'm just about done with this... Do you need something?" I walked up to her and examined what was on the table; it was a gun-like object that was midnight blue in color. "You can touch it if you want," she shrugged a shoulder before picking up the weapon and extending it to me.

I quickly retracted my hands and placed them behind me, shaking my head. "No, I don't want to," I let out a nervous chuckle and a smirk appeared on her lips- _uh-oh_.

"I'll show you how to use it," she wrapped her free hand around my wrist and pulled me to the corner of the room that was used for firing practice. "Stand on the line, please," I hesitantly got into position while Santana pressed some button on the wall that caused a target sheet to slowly drop from the ceiling. "I'm just warning you... It's a bit heavy," she positioned the gun in my hands and I almost dropped it because of its weight."Fire away, princess."

Santana moved back and I tried my best to fix my aim, but I wasn't quite sure how to do it... After a few seconds, I just pulled on the trigger causing a sharp blue beam to shoot out of the gun, hitting the black wall behind the sheet; missing the target by what felt like a mile.

I blushed embarrassedly before trying to give Santana back her toy. "Not my kind of thing," I whispered out, refusing to meet my guardian's gaze.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to shoot," I reluctantly stood on the line again, wishing that the unplanned lesson would just end already. "Keep your elbows steady," she whispered out before placing her hands over mine. "Relax, Quinn... Hold onto it, but not too tight, think of it as a part of you- something that you shouldn't strangle," she then held my chin between a thumb and a finger, straightening out my head before situating herself behind me. I gulped as soon as I felt her palms on my hips. "Now, try again," she breathed into my ear and I closed my eyes for a second before squeezing the trigger.

The laser beam hit the lower-right corner of the target sheet and I jumped up in the air happily. "I hit it!" I said excitedly while handing her back the gun.

"I'm proud of you, Quinn," Santana chuckled, she then placed the weapon back inside the arms closet while I examined the hole that I made. "If it was an actual creature, you wouldn't have even wounded it, but still a good shot for a first-timer..." I glared at Santana who immediately raised both of her hands in the air, feigning innocence. "We'll work on it, alright?"

"Don't ruin my moment," I stuck my tongue out at her and she apologized through the grin she was wearing. "You're just jealous, I bet you were a lot worse during your first time."

"I assure you that I at least hit the drawing on the sheet even if I was merely eight years old at the time," she sent me a smirk and I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, not that I mind the company, but are you in need of anything?"

"Oh yeah, _umm_—" I coughed into my fist and shyly looked away. "I was wondering if we could _buy-dresses-for-the-dance_." I rushed out causing my words to jumble up together. "Only if you're up for it," I shrugged awkwardly and Santana smiled.

"Of course I'm up for it, Quinn... It actually slipped my mind that we would both be needing something special to wear for Homecoming."

"Do you know what color Brittany plans on wearing?" I asked, hoping that the bitterness I felt wasn't evident in my voice. "We need to make sure that whatever dress you pick out won't clash with hers."

"I actually have no idea," Santana rubbed the back of her neck before grabbing her cellphone, which was on top of her work desk. "I should probably call her and ask, huh?" She tapped on the screen of the gadget a couple of times before pressing it against her ear. "Hey, Britt," she said with a smile that left my stomach in uncomfortable knots. "I'm good, I was actually just calling to ask you about what you plan on wearing for the dance next week?" I shifted my eyes around the room, trying not to allow the cruelty of the situation get to me. "Well, Quinn and I are going shopping today, so you can come along if you want to..."

I snapped my hazel eyes back to my guardian; my mouth slightly agape. _What? _"Okay, we'll be there in about half and hour... See you." Santana ended the call and pocketed her phone before focusing on me. "She actually doesn't have anything to wear yet, so I told her that she could buy something with us, that way we'll be able to make sure that our outfits will match. Do you think we should invite Sam?"

"He's wearing a suit... We'll match no matter what happens," I replied monotonously before making my way towards the door. "I'll just dress up, and then we can go."

"Alright, princess."

I simultaneously liked and hated how oblivious Santana was to my feelings for her. It was a good thing because things rarely got awkward between us. But it was also horrible because I was forced to act like I'm okay with doing things that basically burned my insides- such as shopping with Brittany.

Jealousy is connected to greed.

_And in my mind, Santana was mine and mine only._

* * *

"You look great, Quinn," Brittany beamed from her place on the store's sofa; her perfect teeth on full display. "I think you're one of the few girls in McKinley who can actually pull that color off."

I smiled at her politely before approaching the floor-length mirror and examining myself, noting that the cream-colored cocktail dress clung to my body in all of the right places. I was a bit surprised when Brittany first mentioned that long gowns were not needed for this particular school dance since every event back in Agron- even the unimportant ones- required me to be in a relatively conservative dress.

It was a nice change actually...

"Wow," I heard Santana utter breathily, I used the reflection on the mirror to look at her stunned face. I smirked before turning around completely and properly gazing at her- _wrong move_. Whatever smug comment I had in mind died as soon as my eyes landed on my guardian... Santana was standing on the other side of the room in a sinfully sexy red dress.

It was almost evil in a sense; the way the material and design accentuated her perfect body- _'speechless' _was an accurate description for my current state.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Santana."

Brittany's voice put an end to the silent staring contest between Santana and I. I nodded in agreement because I still couldn't figure out how to form words. I was disappointed by the other blonde's compliment though, if I were freely able to admire my guardian; I would use so much more than the phrase _'absolutely gorgeous'_. She was perfect, her anatomy undoubtedly flawless...

I would exhaust every single English word I knew and maybe even some of the Agron ones just to praise her... _I couldn't do that though, of course not._ "Yeah, you look great, San." I fought the urge roll my eyes at myself; that was even poorer than Brittany's remark.

"Thank you," Santana mumbled shyly and I grinned at how adorable her expression was. "You look perfect, princess..." My mouth dropped open and I immediately faced Brittany, who was wearing a confused expression. "Shit, _umm_—" Santana cursed; her eyes widening significantly. "I mean, that dress is perfect on you and it makes you look like a princess, _Quinn._"

"Aww thanks, San," I replied rather awkwardly as Santana walked closer to Brittany, seemingly trying to distract her. I watched as the blonde inspected the material of Santana's dress- _that should be me_... I quietly sighed before walking back into the changing room and putting my casual clothes back on.

By the time I got out, Santana was already changing back into her own clothes, which meant I was alone with Brittany yet again. I handed the employee the dress and told her that I was going to get it before sitting down beside the blonde.

"Santana was right." I tilted my head to the side and Brittany smiled at me. "You do look like a princess..."

I chuckled before shaking my head amusedly. "_Do I_?"

* * *

"No, Quinn." Santana folded her arms over her chest and shook her head sternly.

"Why not?"

"I can't believe you're even bringing this up now... The dance is in a couple of hours and the answer is _no_."

"Santana, I would've asked sooner but I was scared, okay?" I whined while pouting; my guardian just sighed before walking out of the living room and into the kitchen. I followed after her, her lower backside momentarily distracting me from my task. _Focus, Quinn... _"Please, McKinley is like 5 minutes away... I'm sure it will be fine."

"You're not riding Sam's car, _no way_."

I gripped her wrist and made her face me. "But he's my date! You're picking Brittany up, aren't you?" I argued and she rolled her eyes. "Santana, it's like part of the whole Homecoming-experience... Just say yes, please."

"I don't understand why we can't just stick to the original plan, I rented a limousine for a reason, Quinn... We're all going to fit in it."

"Sam wants to pick me up," I shrugged my shoulders before squeezing my eyes shut. "Please don't make me _order you_ to let me go." When I opened my eyes again, Santana was raising an eyebrow at me; her lips sucked in, mimicking a straight line. "I'd prefer it if you just simply allowed me though..."

"Do you remember the last time you ordered me to do something?" I cringed as memories of Rachel's party filled my mind. "How did that turn out?"

"This is different, alright? And it's not a big deal, we'll see each other as soon as we get to school."

She let out a bitter chuckle before nodding. "It's useless to ague, right? It seems that you already decided, princess."

"Santana—"

"Ride with Sam."

"I don't want to if you're going to—"

"Just ride with Sam, Quinn... I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"This shouldn't even be an issue, you won't be by my side for a maximum of 10 minutes..." I sighed before sitting down on one of the stools by the kitchen counter. "Can we not fight about something as petty as this? We're just going to ruin both of our nights."

"_Petty?_ Being with you and ensuring your safety is the most important thing to me, but if you can't see the value of _that_, then go ahead, do what you want with Sam." She flashed me a tightlipped smile before walking away... I groaned as soon as I was alone; she was blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

_As if the Mildans would attack me during such a short car ride... Highly unlikely. _

I rubbed my eyes out of frustration, thankful that I wasn't wearing any makeup yet. Of course, I understood where Santana was coming from... I was aware of how uncomfortable she would be while we weren't together, but try looking at it from my perspective.

If I rode with them, then I'd be stuck with her and Brittany for even longer than necessary. Yeah, Sam would be there too, but the mere image of Santana picking Brittany up and complimenting the other blonde on how beautiful she looked already made me want to vomit. With that said, I didn't think I could actually stomach _witnessing_ it...

It would have been, in a sense, self-inflicted torture.

I hated it whenever Santana was mad at me though... And I honestly felt like I _should_ apologize to her before the dance, but I didn't want her to think that I would fold and agree to ride with her and Brittany again. Okay, and maybe there might have been this _tiny,_ _selfish_ part of me that also wanted to ride with Sam just to make Santana a little jealous...

Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway, it didn't seem like it was working.

* * *

In the sea of McKinley high students that were all dressed in flashy semi-formal outfits, I was still only looking at _one_ particular life form. Brittany was sure lucky to have someone as magnificent as Santana as her escort. I rarely saw my guardian in dresses and makeup, so it almost seemed compulsory for me to observe how beautiful she was-_ even in the cheap lighting the school gym provided_.

My only issue was the distance between her body and mine; in my opinion, she should be right by my side...

"Do you want a drink or something?" Sam asked me, making me tear my eyes off my guardian and Brittany who were talking to each other a few feet away from us. I shook my head, no, but smiled at him gratefully. "You look really pretty, by the way," he grinned at me and I bashfully averted my eyes downward. "_I'm serious_, you're the prettiest girl in this room."

"No, that title belongs to someone else," I whispered out, briefly darting my eyes to Santana before focusing on Sam again.

"What was that?"

"_Nothing_." I was glad that the music playing was loud enough to drown out my earlier comment. "So... What happens now? This is kind of my first high school dance, so I'm not really sure what to expect."

"Really? That's kind of surprising since I'm sure every single guy in this room wished that you were their date right now." I mumbled out a diffident _'whatever'_ in response and looked away, but Sam cupped my chin and made me look at him. "I'm just being honest with you, Quinn."

"Thanks, Sam... I think I'd like that drink now," I told him politely and he nodded before jogging off.

I wasn't really thirsty; I just needed a few moments to collect myself. Sam was being the perfect date and yet I wasn't feeling even remotely attracted to him. I actually had to keep mentally reminding myself that tonight, my attention was rightfully his and not Santana's.

_Sam was my date, Santana was Brittany's._

It was so simple and yet my body was finding it difficult to comply with the set limitations. I wanted to keep my gaze fixed on Santana the whole night just to make sure she wasn't doing anything _wrong_. By _'wrong'_, I meant doing anything unacceptable _with Brittany_. Such as any form of physical contact- okay, maybe that was a bit too much, but _still_- Santana's skin was off-limits.

_To everyone, but especially to Brittany Pierce._

Sam came back with my drink and I made sure it wasn't alcoholic before sipping from it.

"Do you want to dance?"

I looked to the side again, and when I didn't see Santana or Brittany, I reluctantly nodded and allowed Sam to lead me towards the middle of the room. I knew that a certain percentage of Santana's concentration would still be on me, in spite of whatever she was doing with Brittany. Which meant, even if I couldn't see her; I was sure that she could still see me...

She would never allow me to completely disappear from her sight, _no way_.

I trusted Santana with my life and knowing that she was always looking out for me made me feel unquestionably safe.

But right now, I was going to use the fact that she was watching me to my advantage.

A rather upbeat song came on and I pulled Sam even closer to my body, I wrapped my arms around his neck and started moving _against_ his body rather than _with_ it. The smirk he was wearing told me that he was enjoying it; I made sure I wasn't being too attention-calling or '_slutty'_ though. I was still a princess and I knew how to carry myself, I was just putting on a show; a show that would hopefully make Santana see green.

We danced for a couple of songs until the principal went up the stage and stopped the music.

"It's time to crown the Homecoming court." Students began cheering loudly and I even heard a couple of people chanting Rachel Berry's name. "Settle down, everyone..." The noise died down eventually and the principal cleared his throat a couple of times. "Firstly, your Homecoming Princess and _Princess_ are: Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez."

My mouth fell open and I followed the spotlight until it reached my guardian and her date; Santana was wearing a surprised expression and Brittany just looked extremely happy.

They both climbed up the stage and Figgins- the principal- couldn't decide who would get the tiara and who would get the crown, so Brittany reached for both of the pieces of plastic jewelry and placed the crown on herself and the tiara on Santana. She then kissed Santana on the cheek and I flinched because of the sharp jolt in my chest that the small gesture caused.

Figgins then proceeded to crown the Homecoming King and Queen; Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry respectively.

I still couldn't get over the fact that Santana and Brittany were_ 'The Cutest Couple'_, which was the underlying description for the Homecoming Prince and Princess. Well, in their case,_ Princess and Princess_... The worst part about the entire ordeal though was the bright smile Santana was wearing; it was incredibly difficult for me to despise something that made my guardian happy.

"Congratulations, guys," I faked a smile. "_Cutest couple, huh?_ That's amazing..." I felt like choking on my own words, but I needed to appear okay- even if I was the farthest thing from being okay.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Rachel had something to do with it," Brittany shrugged her shoulders before wrapping an arm around my guardian's waist. "But we are pretty cute, huh?" Santana just chuckled while shaking her head. "Don't deny it, San..."

"Whatever you say, Britt."

At that moment, it was as if the universe was messing with me... I was angry, and I was growing angrier and angrier by the second. The blood coursing through my veins was set aflame by all of my frustrations, heating up my skin.

"Are you okay?" Sam reached for my hand, but quickly yanked his away when our fingertips touched. He was shaking his hand in the air causing Brittany, Santana, and I to stare at him curiously. "You're hot." My guardian narrowed her eyes at him and I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I mean,_ yeah, you're hot_, but like your hands are _super hot_ right now."

"What?" I clenched my fists shut, trying to understand what Sam was saying, but I didn't feel anything. "I feel _norm_—" I was cut off by the feeling of Santana holding my hand; we were only in contact for a split second before she retracted her touch and pressed her palm against the material of her dress. "What's going on?"

"He's right," Santana whispered out before placing the back of her hand on my forehead; as if she was checking my temperature to see if I had a fever. She then began cautiously and inconspicuously feeling my arms and other exposed body parts. "It's only your palms though..."

"Can I _tou_—" Brittany was about to feel my hand when Santana quickly grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"No, don't. You're just going to get hurt... _Trust me_." Brittany nodded in acquiescence and Santana let go of her before checking the time on her phone. "Britt, I need to take Quinn home and figure out what's going on."

"Wait, I feel okay."

"Quinn, we should really figure out—"

"We will, _after _Homecoming, alright? I'm pretty sure it's just some allergic reaction or whatever," I chuckled out, loud enough for both Sam and Brittany to hear. "I'm okay though- _I feel okay_."

"Yeah, sure, _allergies_," Santana muttered before turning away from me. I sighed audibly, knowing I once again caused some sort of conflict between us. I paid attention to Sam once more and tried to make the most of our time left together.

...

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to accompany you to the party later."

"It's cool, I get it... Your hands are probably killing you right now, huh? Whenever I get allergies, my face kinda swells up, but my skin never gets _that_ hot... Are they itchy?"

I stretched out my fingers and positioned my hands high enough, so we could both examine them, there was a light pink-ish glow coating the usually pale skin, but it was barely noticeable amidst the multicoloured laser lights streaming around the large room. "They aren't really itchy, more of... _Tingly?_" I curled my fingers towards the heel of my palm before relaxing them again; I repeated this a couple of times before giggling. "I can't explain it, it just feels really weird."

"Like pins and needles?"

"Kind of, but I think it's a good kind of weird."

"So... _Good_ pins and needles," Sam grinned and I laughed before nodding. We rested against an unoccupied portion of some wall since there wasn't really anything else to do but talk; dancing again was out of the question since I couldn't touch him without the risk of causing him pain. "Are you having fun, Quinn?"

He asked the question as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him; I exhaled deeply before allowing more of my weight to lean on his body.

"I am," I replied honestly, trying my best to ignore the tiny fraction of my brain that was still wondering what Santana and Brittany were doing. If they were enjoying each other's company, then I should at least attempt to have a good time tonight. It wasn't too late, we still had around an hour left. "So, Sam... Tell me about yourself."

Sam began talking about comic books and some movie called _'Avatar'_; his fascination with sci-fi and extraterrestrial creatures made it a little tempting to reveal my secret identity, but I knew it would be immensely idiotic if I did.

There's a big difference between fiction and reality.

I guess I started truly having fun when I stopped allowing my feelings for Santana to dictate all of my actions that night. Sam was a really charming guy and he was actually interesting and very sweet, so I felt bad for basically using him as a tool to make my guardian jealous; and also as a distraction from my own jealousy.

Sam Evans was a likeable human being- _definitely_.

But he just wasn't for me...

* * *

I entered the house first and cringed inwardly as soon as I heard the front door slam shut. I took in a sharp breath before spinning around and glaring at Santana. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Your attitude is my problem," she shot back through gritted teeth. "What is up with you and being noncompliant today? First, you had to have your way about riding with Sam, and then you refused to go home when I asked you to..."

"Santana, my hands are fine!" I clenched my jaw frustratedly before rolling my eyes and stomping off to the kitchen to get some water. As soon as I touched the bottle, its contents began to sizzle and the plastic container began to melt, so I immediately dropped it to the floor.

"You were saying?"

I whipped my head around to face my guardian again. "I don't understand what's happening, but I think it has something to do with my temper, so back off, San..."

"How do you know this?"

I balled my fists tight enough for my knuckles to turn ghost-white. "Because once I got away from you and Brittany, I was able to touch Sam again without burning him!"

"What did we do?" Santana raised an eyebrow and I groaned at how ignorant she was. "Can you just calm down then?"

"No."

"Quinn—"

"Santana, shut up!" I released my grasp and pink rays fired out of my palms, hitting the kitchen floor and destroying the tiles. I stared at the light until it faded away into nothing, leaving only the ruined ceramic as proof of its existence. "_What on Agron_?" I breathed out before slumping to the ground and staring at my hands incredulously.

"So... I guess your first power is here." Santana sat down beside me and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry if I made you angry, princess..."

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, trying my best to relax. "No, it wasn't your fault... I'm just being weird," I told her honestly; it was the truth, she didn't actually do anything wrong... It's not like she knew that I would become insanely jealous of the way she interacted with Brittany during the school dance.

_She wasn't aware of my feelings for her and I wasn't allowed to tell her about those feelings..._

"I'm still sorry."

"Well, I'm sorry too," I rested the side of my head on her shoulder and bit my lower lip. "What's going to happen now?"

"Your training will begin," Santana chuckled as I grimaced. "Remind me not to get on your bad side... I don't want to end up looking like _that_." She pointed to the rubble all over the floor; I playfully slapped her thigh and she let out a pained scream. I pulled away instantly, mentally berating myself for hurting her. "_I'm just kidding_, you're okay now," she reached for my hand and guided it to her cheek, pressing my palm onto her face. "_See_? Painless."

I drew back my hand away from her and scowled. "Not funny, Santana."

"Yeah, yeah... You're right, that was a bad joke," she grabbed my hand again and kissed the inside of my wrist softly. "I'm sorry." I bit the inner part of my cheek and looked away; she then stood up and helped me to my feet. "Go to bed and get some sleep, tomorrow's going to be a _long_ day."

"Tomorrow?" I whined out before allowing my shoulders to fall. "I don't want to start tomorrow... Can't we—"

"The elders said that your training has to begin as soon as your powers started manifesting themselves," she uttered in a rather sympathetic tone; the smirk that was ghosting her lips told me another story though- _s__he was excited._ "Goodnight, Quinn..."

I playfully stuck my tongue out at her before allowing myself to crack a smile. "Night, San."


	3. Chapter 3

**C3**

Cheerios' practice was _nothing_ compared to my training with Santana.

It would have been more bearable if I were only trying to master my hand-beams- _but_ _no_. Our Saturday morning training sessions also consisted of a number of exhausting drills and conditioning exercises to tone my body and enhance my fitness. It was gruelling torture that never failed to leave all of my muscles aching and sore...

But it helped, _it helped __lot._

In the span of a couple of months, I had full control over the laser beams that shot out of my palms; I was also in the best shape of my young life. It took a lot more for me to get winded or tired... The part I liked the most though was how proud my guardian was of me after each and every one of our sessions.

The look of pure admiration on her face never failed to make the pain worth it...

My all-time favorite activity had to be _competitive firing practice_, wherein Santana would use one of her guns, and we would try to outdo each other by accurately shooting as many targets as possible within a fixed span of time. And since we were both naturally competitive people, it was always _so_ intense...

I loved every second of it.

Training was one of those things that only Santana and I shared; no one else could join in- _it was our exclusive time together_.

Santana's popularity basically soared after Homecoming and a few more wins for the WMHS soccer team... Along with her newly improved reputation came a lot of rumors regarding her supposed romantic relationship with the one and only, Brittany Pierce. I once mustered up enough courage to ask my guardian about her relationship with the other Cheerio and she told me that there was nothing serious going on between the two of them.

And I figured that if I could trust her with my life, then I should also be able to believe the things that she said to me.

But just because they weren't_ 'serious'_ didn't mean they weren't hanging out. They actually hung out _a lot_... It was rare to see Santana in school without Brittany, which meant Brittany was always with _us_. And since Brittany's best friend was Rachel, Rachel was also usually present.

It was strange but within a few weeks, Santana and I ended up joining Rachel and Brittany at the top of McKinley High's hierarchy.

Without question, I enjoyed the privileges that came with being popular... But I also constantly found myself imagining how things would be like if I didn't decide to join the Cheerios; Santana wouldn't have become the captain of the soccer team and we would've just been two regular students_- nothing more than the 'new kids'. _

I wouldn't have had to share my guardian with anyone...

A part of me would've been okay with being a loser if it meant having Santana all to myself, but there was also this part of me, which yearned for recognition. I was royalty in Agron; my life was extremely far from ordinary. I wasn't used to being just another face in the crowd, so I knew things were supposed to play out_ this way_; all of this happened for a reason.

We're more than halfway done with the school year anyway, it won't be long until Santana and I can put all of _this_ behind us...

I knew that there would be important events in my future that would have absolutely nothing to do with high school drama... Which meant, I wasn't supposed to dwell on the present too much. I had a destiny that was far more important than impressing my teenage peers; this was all just _temporary_.

So seeing Brittany allover Santana shouldn't make my blood boil. She was just some human; a being that would fade from our lives before we knew it. It shouldn't be so difficult for me to fight the urge to blow her brains out... She was one of the kindest people I've ever met, but I still found her barely tolerable.

If I didn't have Sam around, I'm sure I would've killed her at some point.

The blonde boy quickly became my closest human friend. _We just clicked_; not in the romantic-way, but in the way that we could just talk about nothing for hours, and still enjoy our time together. He understood that our relationship was purely platonic though and he wasn't pushing for anything more... I actually _needed_ Sam around; his dorkiness helped me with neglecting my feelings for Santana.

It was just so hard to ignore how my heart rate sped up whenever my guardian was around, how my cheeks heated up whenever she touched me, how my lips curled into an uncontrollable smile whenever she would look at me.

My attraction toward Santana may have been wrong in terms of Agron law, but in all other aspects- it just seemed so right...

_As if we were simply meant to be together._

* * *

"Do you need help setting up?" I asked Santana as soon as I entered the training room and saw that our usual equipment wasn't visible.

"Nope..."

"But aren't we going to—"

"I have something _different_ planned out for today," she grinned at me before picking up a duffel bag from the floor and walking out of the room. I followed her curiously, unsure of what was going on. "Do you have plans for this afternoon?"

"Sam might come over and—"

"Cancel on him."

"What?"

"You heard me, _cancel it_... We're going on a little trip." Her lips formed a smirk as she tapped on the unlock-button of the car keys. She then walked out of the front door and entered car, motioning for me to follow. I heard the house-lock click into place as soon as I shut the front door. "Why do you look so nervous?"

"'Cause I don't understand what's happening."

"You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course, I trust you, San... It's just that I thought we were training today."

"Did you think I would forget that it was your birthday today?" My mouth dropped open as I realized that it was indeed my birthday. _It completely slipped my mind..._ "This will be better than training, I promise."

I nodded before strapping on my safety belt. I was feeling a bit lost since I couldn't believe the fact that I forgot my own birthday. "Where are we going?" I asked as soon as I realized that we were almost out of Lima.

"We just needed to get far enough to do _this_..." Santana activated the stealth feature of our shuttle before flooring the gas pedal. In seconds, we were up in the air, propelling towards the sky. It was a rough ride for a while, but it became a lot smoother once we were out of Earth's gravitational range. "I missed outer space so much," she whispered out as soon as we were relatively stable. "I was starting to suffocate on that planet."

"Tell me about it," I silently admired the view of the stars and other celestial bodies that the windshield provided. It has been _way too long_ since I've observed such beauty. _W__ell, aside from seeing Santana everyday_. "So... Where are we going?"

"Unless you have a particular place you want to visit... I was planning to take you somewhere."

"No, _surprise me_," I beamed at her and she nodded before increasing our velocity. In less than half an hour, we ended up landing on a planet that I had absolutely no knowledge about. "What is this place?" I asked; everything was bathed with this sort of light-periwinkle glow, all of the random structures present and even the ground itself. I looked up and saw that the airspace was of a similar color, only darker. "It's beautiful..."

"It's a baby planet," Santana answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's still in its developmental stages, I don't understand it completely, but from what I gathered... It's a new type of celestial body that comes from some kind of reaction between stars."

"And how do you know this?" I raised an eyebrow at her amusedly. "For someone who's supposedly very tough, you're really nerdy, huh?"

"Just because I like educating myself doesn't make me a nerd..."

"Mhmm," I hummed out before wiggling my eyebrows at her teasingly. "It's okay, I won't tell anyone that the chosen guardian is actually a closet-nerd. The Mildans won't find out, I promise," I raised up my right hand as if I was taking an oath and she narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm kidding, San."

"I should've just brought you to an asteroid or something..." She rolled her eyes and I chuckled. "I just thought it'd be special since we'd be the first life forms to set foot on this thing."

"Hey, I was just kidding... This is amazing, I love it." Before I could psych myself out, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight; our bodies pressing together. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, princess," she said softly; I could feel her heartbeat through our clothes, and it seemed as if it was beating faster than what would be considered normal.

As soon as the embrace ended, Santana retrieved her duffel bag from the car and began walking towards some kind of body of water. Like everything else on this planet, the liquid was also in a particular shade of periwinkle-_ just more transparent_. She took out a picnic blanket and laid it on the ground before placing containers of food on top of it. "Let's eat?"

I bit my lower lip to suppress the huge smile that wanted to come out. The whole thing was just so unexpected and adorable... I didn't think it was possible for me to fall for her even more, but I was wrong- _so wrong_.

I sat beside her and we began eating and talking about the most random things. It was inexplicably comfortable, inexplicably amazing. There was just no way to put into words all of the emotions that Santana made me feel.

After the meal, my guardian and I cleaned up a little- only leaving the picnic blanket out of the bag. I lay down and started admiring the strange sky above us, I was just about to drift to sleep when something was draped over my face. "What the—" I pulled away the garment and realized it was a bikini top; Santana then threw me a pair of matching-bottoms. "What's this for?"

"We're going swimming."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Nope, I just gave you those because I thought it would be funny," she responded sarcastically and I stuck my tongue out at her. "Come on, Quinn, it'll be fun, I swear."

"Are you sure that water is even safe to swim in?"

"Will I ever put you in danger?" She retorted and I huffed before shaking my head. "Go change in the car, I'll change out here... We're alone anyway."

"Or we can both just change out here." Santana's mouth dropped open and I started blushing furiously. "I mean, we just won't look at each other. I didn't mean like—"

"Y-yeah, I get it," she nodded before swiftly turning around. "I'll face this way..." I took in a deep breath to calm myself before standing up and positioning myself in a way that I couldn't see Santana at all.

She was going to change into swimwear- meaning, she was going to be completely naked for a few seconds.

_Stop it, you sound like a pervert._

I tried shaking away all of the inappropriate thoughts before I started stripping off my clothes and placing on the swimsuit. "Are you ready?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," I faced her again and my breath hitched in my throat. _Sexy. _There was no other word to describe how Santana looked in that black bikini; her body was just flawless. _Oh my, Agron... Those abs, that butt- ugh. _"I- um- we should—" I exhaled deeply to compose myself. "L-let's go swimming."

"Quinn, are you okay?" Santana began approaching me and I didn't think I would be able to handle her being in such close proximity, so I just ran. I ran towards the space-lake or whatever it was, hoping that the water would rid my mind of all lustful thoughts; I jumped right in, glad the temperature of the fluid was just right. "You're acting rather strange," my guardian remarked once she was also inside the water.

"Sorry, I just got kind of... _Excited._"

_Well, I wasn't lying, right?_

Santana and I swam around for almost 2 hours; she even dove underwater to retrieve me these seashell-like objects. Her exposed skin proved to be a formidable distraction the entire time; I kept having to mentally reprimand myself whenever I realized that my eyes were wandering. The vision of her body was really just an added bonus though- _today was just something else_... There were only a few things in the galaxy that were better than sweet surprises.

I woke up this morning expecting to attend training and have a comparatively typical day, but then I got all of _this_ instead...

I had the perfect guardian- there was no doubt about it.

We both dried off using the towels Santana brought and then we took some time to lounge comfortably. We made use of the picnic blanket again and just watched the fascinating water flow for a while. I hooked my left arm through Santana's right one then I rested my head on her shoulder. We didn't speak for a while, but the silence in the air was oddly pleasant- it made everything around us seem dreamlike.

"We have to go home soon..."

I sucked in my lower lip because I knew she was right, but I didn't want the trip to end yet. "Can we stay a little bit longer?" Santana nodded and I allowed myself to lean on her more; she wrapped an arm around my shoulders to make the position more comfortable. "Thanks for today, San... It was amazing."

"Anything for you."

I pulled back a little to be able to look at her better before smiling. "You're the best guardian ever... I swear, I can't imagine going through all of this with anyone else."

"It's my privilege to be here with you. Happy birthday, princess," she moved closer and pressed her lips onto my forehead, obviously surprising us both. It was quick- almost no pressure- but the feeling of those lips against my skin was enough to set my whole body ablaze. "_Shi_- I'm sorry, Quinn," she began pulling away in a panic, but I quickly stopped her.

"It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong." At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to surge forward and capture her lips for an _actual kiss_ just to show her how_ 'okay'_ her actions truly were, but I couldn't do _that_... In spite of how desperately I wanted to, I couldn't. "Can we please just stay like this for a little bit longer?"

Santana seemed torn, but we both knew that there was no way she would refuse my request, so she settled back down and tried her best to relax her tense body.

I squeezed my eyes shut and just leant into her more... I really didn't want to go back to Earth; I wanted to stay on this unnamed planet and just be with my guardian. Everything just seemed so _simple_ out here.

It was just Santana and I, nothing and no one else.

_But my life was never meant to be simple._

* * *

The Cheerios ended up winning Nationals, which meant Rachel was throwing another party- _a bigger one_. Obviously, all of the cheerleaders were required to go... So I _had to_ attend. I was dreading it though and Santana knew it; I was afraid that this party would turn out like the last one and of course, I didn't want _that_ to happen.

"Maybe we can pretend that I got sick?"

Santana shifted her eyes to me momentarily before focusing on the road again. "Even if you were actually sick, I don't think it would be a valid excuse in Rachel's twisted mind..."

"But what if you know... What if I lose control again?" I asked softly, still embarrassed because of the incident that happened months ago. "No one knew us then, but then now people would notice if something like that reoccured."

"Do you plan on drinking that much again?" I mumbled out a _'no'_ and Santana continued. "Will you listen to me if I tell you to stop?" She parked the car on Rachel's street and turned to me, I nodded, yes, and she smiled. "Then I don't see the problem... Plus, Sam will be in there too and I'm sure he'll help me make sure nothing bad happens to you. _Not that I need help when it comes to taking care of you_," she quickly added and I looked away to hide the smile on my lips.

As soon as we entered the Berry house, Brittany bounced up to us; a huge grin on her face. "You guys are here!" She exclaimed excitedly before leading us to the kitchen, where Rachel was talking to a couple of other people. "Rach, Quinn and San are here."

"You two want a drink?" Rachel motioned to the array of bottles covering the surface of the kitchen counter.

"No thanks."

"I'm driving."

Santana and I uttered the negative statements simultaneously.

"Okay..." Rachel drawled out before handing me a cup. "Santana has an excuse, but _you_ don't... Come on, we just won Nationals- _let loose a little, Rivers_." I forced myself to smile at her before taking the drink and sipping from it. "Who's up for some drinking _ga_—"

"Q, there you are!" I turned around and saw Sam grinning at me. I quickly made my way to him, thankful for the chance to get away from Rachel. "Congratulations on Nationals."

"Thanks."

"Are you busy?" I looked back and saw that Santana's focus was on Brittany while all the other Cheerios were playing some drinking game with Rachel, so I shook my head. "Okay, I want to show you something..." Sam began leading me towards the backyard but before we could exit the door, I felt someone grip my wrist; the familiarity of the contact immediately giving away the person's identity- _Santana_.

"Where are you going?"

"Sam just wanted to show me something."

"We'll just be right outside, I promise I'll take care of her." Sam said in a sincere tone and Santana nodded cautiously; her eyes looking rather doubtful. It was alright though, Sam was pretty used to my guardian's overprotectiveness by now- _everyone in McKinley was actually_.

They all believed the whole _best-friends-thing_ and I guess they just accepted the fact that Santana was very _'caring' _when it came to me...

Once we were outside, I glanced back and saw that Santana moved her conversation with Brittany nearer to the window; just so she could have a better view of me. It was nice knowing that Brittany would never get 100% of my guardian's attention, no matter how hard she tried. "What did you want to show me?"

"My friend in the Astronomy club told me that the sky would be amazing tonight." I gazed upwards and saw that the sky was peppered with twinkling stars. "He was right..." We sat down on the grass and stared for about half an hour, we probably looked strange since we were practically looking at nothing- but whatever.

"You know it's kind of weird that a football player has a friend in the Astronomy club," I told him in a teasing tone, breaking the comfortable silence that ensued. He elbowed me lightly and I chuckled. "I'm just kidding, Sammy."

"I'm just being a good friend to you because I know that you're into space-stuff."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," I flashed him a smile and he gave me a thumbs up. "You're a really good friend."

"Psh, I'm your _best_ friend."

"_Close_ but that title belongs to San—"

"No, it doesn't, 'cause Santana isn't _just_ your friend," Sam cut me off. "You like her..." He added matter-of-factly causing my eyes to widen. "You can admit it to me, you know that, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Okay, you don't even have to admit it- _I already know_." He said with a grin. "I'm the one who has to deal with your jealousy, Q... Do you know how angry you get whenever Brittany is around Santana? It's _so_ obvious."

I began to panic. "What do you mean that it's—"

"Relax, I mean that it's obvious to _me_," Sam explained in a reassuring tone. "You really should just tell her though."

"Tell her what?"

"That she means so much more to you than just a friend..." I opened my mouth to deny it some more, but there was no use, so I just sighed, confused. "Why are you so afraid? I know that it practically kills you to see her with Brittany, so why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

"Things are complicated, Sam," I whispered out before drawing my knees to my chest. "_I want to_- but I just can't."

"If she actually liked Brittany, they'd probably be official by now..." Sam stood up and pulled me to my feet. "But the thing is, _they_ _aren't_," he concluded before leading me back to the house.

My mind was trying its best to process my whole conversation with Sam... How is it that he made things seem so simple? I was aware that he didn't know the _whole story_, but he knew about my feelings for Santana and he was able to make me see things from a new perspective.

_Why was I so afraid?_

I would be breaking a number of my planet's laws but... _So?_ We weren't in Agron. And telling Santana how I felt didn't mean that we had to get married anytime soon. _She'd just know_- and things would be easier because I wouldn't have to hide how I felt anymore- I wouldn't have to deal with everything by myself.

There was no guarantee that we would end up together anyway.

_And whatever, if somehow, we do return to Agron as lovers, we'll deal with it when the time comes... _

It was way too early to think about all of the repercussions that may not even transpire. I was eighteen and I was in love with Santana... And I _needed_ to let her know.

We entered the kitchen again and my eyes instantly sought out my guardian; I was determined to confess my feelings for her while the unexplainable adrenaline was still coursing through my veins. I furrowed my eyebrows confusedly at the scene before me though; Rachel and Brittany seemed to be fighting. I became even more uncertain of what was going on when the blonde slapped Rachel right across the face- _hard. _Santana started pulling Brittany into the other room and I looked around, trying to find an explanation for what I just witnessed.

"What's going on?" I asked Sam and he immediately questioned one of his teammates. I was about to follow Santana to the living room, but Sam stopped me. "I have to find out what—"

"Rachel kissed Santana."

"What the _fuck_?" I rarely cursed, but it seemed like an appropriate response. "But Santana would _never_ join a drinking game..." I argued; I knew that she found those kinds of games incredibly idiotic.

"She didn't... That's why Brittany's on rage-mode right now."

If Brittany was angry, then I was _angrier_; I felt my palms heating up and I wanted nothing more than to shoot Rachel Berry right there and right then. _What was she thinking? _I tried to calm myself down by taking deep breaths, but it just wasn't working... I narrowed my eyes at Rachel who was sitting by the counter, applying an icepack to her swelling cheek.

If I had my way with her, an icepack would be totally useless...

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. _No, Quinn, she isn't worth it... _I quickly made my way to the living room and found my guardian on one of the couches with Brittany's face buried into the material of her top. She was rubbing the blonde's back soothingly and the gesture made my stomach churn.

There was nothing more painful than seeing Santana care about someone else...

The desire to declare my love for her immediately faded at the distressing sight. "Are you okay?" Sam asked me from behind and I shook my head in response. "You don't have to tell her _right _now, you know..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Quinn—"

"I need a drink, can you please get me one? I don't think I can handle seeing Rachel right now." He answered with a _'yeah, sure'_ before making his way back to the kitchen. I was about to look away from the couch when I caught Brittany pressing a kiss onto Santana's lips. I saw red and I clenched my fists before running out of the front door; it wasn't safe for me to be inside that house.

_Who gave these Earthlings the right to touch what was mine?_

I made my way to an alley, a few houses down and just started firing at the ground. Each beam exiting my body, taking a portion of my wrath with it. "Quinn!" I turned around and saw Santana who was panting breathlessly. "What are you doing?"

"_Nothing_," I shrugged my shoulders and she started walking closer. "Stop, don't come any closer, I'm really angry right now, so it's not safe for you to be near me."

"Quinn, you know that you're not allowed to just leave me like that..."

"You were busy and I needed to get out of there."

"No, _no matter what_- you can't just go off like this... Why are you so mad? What's wrong?" I groaned loudly before rolling my eyes, I turned away and began rapidly shooting at the pavement once more; making visible holes in the cement. _Wasn't the reason for my anger already so obvious?_ "Quinn—"

"Just take me home, please." She began talking again, but I shook my head. "I'm ordering you to take me home... _Now_."

_I'm seriously starting to hate this stupid planet._

* * *

Of course thoughts about annihilating Rachel Berry and Brittany Pierce crossed my mind... Humans were such mortal and powerless beings- _so_ _fragile_. It wouldn't take a lot of effort to get rid of them; just one well-aimed laser beam. I was being trained to take on a whole Mildan army, which meant I was more than capable of eliminating two teenaged girls if I wanted to.

It would've been immensely easy, but I would never allow envy to cloud my mind to _that_ extent... I was given special powers for a reason. I wasn't going to abuse them just to resolve my personal drama.

But there was just something so infuriating about the fact that these Earthlings believed that they had a real chance with Santana. My guardian was basically perfect; she was the ideal life form. And it irked me painfully that both Rachel and Brittany were now more_ 'romantically advanced'_ than I was with regards to Santana.

My self-control was diminishing; I just wanted Santana to be _mine_, in all senses of the word. I didn't want to be just the princess that she had to take care of anymore... I wanted her to fall in love with me in the same way that I fell in love with her.

"Quinn, please talk to me."

"What?" I huffed out before bringing another spoonful of Lucky Charms to my mouth. "I _am_ talking to you..."

"I mean, tell me why you're mad at me," she groaned out and rested her chin on the kitchen counter; her eyes never leaving my face. "I don't know what I did wrong but I'm sorry, alright?"

"That's a horrible apology."

"Well, I could give you a better one if I knew the reason why you're so angry," she said in a hopeful tone causing me to irritatedly stab my bowl of cereal with my spoon. "Quinn, _please_," she whined before rubbing her temples with her thumbs. "Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Just explain to me what I did wrong..."

"Figure it out," I rolled my eyes as I brought my used bowl to the sink, I was about to walk out of the kitchen when Santana hugged me from behind. My heart rate immediately sped up because of the fact that we were touching. "Santana, _let go_..." I protested weakly; aware that I didn't really want her to loosen her hold on me.

"Forgive me first," my guardian whispered into my ear, her breath making my body tremble lightly. "You know that I can't stand it when you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you so just drop it." She spun me around and gently backed me up to the nearest wall; I didn't understand what she was doing, but I wasn't actually scared. _It's Santana... _"What are you doing?" I asked unsurely as soon as my back was touching the wall behind me; she cupped my cheek and I gulped audibly. "San?"

"_Sorry_," Santana breathed out before looking away. "I'm just really trying to read you but I don't know how to." She sighed before distancing herself from me; my body instantly missed the close contact with hers. "Quinn, I can't keep second guessing myself when it comes to taking care of you because it's honestly driving me insane. One second, we're okay and the next, you're running off without telling me... What am I doing wrong?"

The devastatingly confused look on her face was enough to make my heart clench; she was adorable in spite of the fact that she was probably the most oblivious living entity in the entire galaxy. "You're not doing anything wrong, Santana... I promise, none of this is your fault."

"Why do you refuse to open up to me?"

"I just- _I_ _can't_, okay?"

"You can tell my _anything_, princess... You know that, right?"

"Not this, not now..." I sighed out before rubbing at my eyes frustratedly. "Can I go upstairs now?"

"You're free to do whatever you want, princess." She shrugged her shoulders before dejectedly walking towards her training room. I knew that I was hurting her, but it wasn't like I had a choice... I couldn't just tell her that I was absolutely in love with her, right? There were too many consequences to think about.

I know I told Sam that I would finally admit to Santana that I liked her, but that was before reality came crashing back with a vengeance.

* * *

"Keep it steady!" Rachel barked out coldly, earning her contemptuous glares from the whole team. The air was thick with tension and everyone knew it; of course the dispute between Rachel and Brittany became public knowledge- _gossip was a staple in McKinley_. My teammates were all just waiting for someone to make the first move- _a__nd honestly, so was I..._

As soon as the water break started, Rachel came up to me- I was surprised but I didn't make it obvious.

"Quinn, can I talk to you for a second?" I hesitantly nodded, I clenched my free hand shut and gripped my water bottle tightly, _just to make sure there'd be no accidents_. She sat down beside me on the grass and the awkwardness in the air almost felt tangible. My eyes wandered to the far side of the field, where the soccer team was practicing; the view of Santana instantly calming me down. "Does she plan on killing me?"

Rachel's voice brought me back to our conversation and I blinked a couple of times to clear my head. "Huh?"

"Is Santana going to kill me or something?" Rachel chuckled out, but the sound seemed too unnatural to be authentic. "I know Brittany wants to..."

"She won't kill you." I shrugged my shoulders before taking another sip of water. "Don't worry..."

"I'm not worried," Rachel replied swiftly, keeping her voice void of any tale-telling emotions. "I just don't want her to think that I like her or whatever... _She's a loser_."

"Why'd you kiss her then?" I challenged, rage filling my body because of her insulting words. "She wasn't the one who came up to you, Rachel." I felt the strong need to defend my guardian; this human better change her tone or else things could get out of hand.

"You don't get it, Quinn... You haven't been here long enough to understand," she sighed deeply before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Brittany is my second-in-command. Yes, she is also my best friend, but things were getting out of control... Santana has made quite an impact in McKinley and it's messing with the hierarchy I created, I just used her to secure my place on top, alright? We're graduating soon and I need to leave this place as number one."

_There was something in her voice that made it seem like she wasn't being one hundred percent honest with me though._

"You're demented..." I whispered out, fully floored by Rachel's admission. "You do know that you hurt Brittany badly, right?"

"Simple economics, Quinny... You must sacrifice some things to gain what you want, I'm sure that Britt and I will be fine though... Santana isn't the first person we ever fought over." I just gawked at her silently, not sure how to reply to everything that she just told me. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you to inform Santana that what happened in my party last Saturday was senseless. It didn't mean anything, alright? I'm with Finn, _I love Finn_," she declared sternly.

It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince me though... "Okay," I replied lamely since my mind couldn't come up with anything better to say. "I'll let her know."

"Good, now come on, we have to clean up that pathetic mess you girls call a routine." She stood up and I discreetly rolled my eyes before following her. The rest of the practice was equally as exhausting as the earlier part, but my mind was elsewhere... I couldn't think about the pain in my limbs because my brain was too busy processing my unexpected talk with Rachel.

* * *

Like always, Santana met up with me after our respective showers. "How was practice?"

"It was alright..."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." We both entered the car and I immediately rested the side of my head against the window. "By the way, San..." She hummed in response and I took in a deep breath. "I think Rachel likes you, but she told me to tell you that the kiss meant nothing..."

"What?" Santana snapped her head to me and stopped backing up the car. "What do you—"

"I guess Brittany has competition," I half-shrugged before closing my eyes. "I'm tired..." I faced away from her and just waited for the vehicle to start moving; it took a while but eventually, Santana began driving. For some reason, my earlier conversation with Rachel left me feeling really upset.

_That could be me one day..._

Desperately trying to convince myself that I was in love with a man even if I wanted Santana. Maybe, I was over reading things, _but_ _still_, the heaviness in my chest was nauseating and I just wanted to curl up in my bed and allow sleep to induce numbness. I was exhausted in all senses of the word- there was just way too much going on, and I was barely coping with everything.

"What do you want to eat for dinner?" Santana asked as soon as we both entered the house; I shrugged weakly before walking towards the base of the stairs. "Quinn?"

"I'm not really hungry... I'm just going to take a nap."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just really tired right now, okay? I'll be fine..." I forced myself to grin at her and then headed up to my room. I wanted to completely ignore the distraught look on her face but it was too hard; she just looked so distressed, and it made liquid guilt flow freely through my veins.

I hid under my covers and allowed a dreamless sleep to take over my body; everything was better in slumber because although temporarily, _reality still seizes to exist_.

* * *

I semi-unconciously shifted because of the unusually warm temperature... I tried removing the comforter that was covering my skin but something was on it. My eyes shot open as soon as I recognized the feeling of someone's arms around my torso. I snapped my head to the side and saw Santana sleeping beside me even in the dim lighting of my room. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from releasing an audible_ 'aww'_ and risk waking her up.

She looked so peaceful in this state; I knew that it was kind of creepy to stare at her while she slept, but I rarely saw Santana with her guard down... I snuggled closer to my guardian and sighed contentedly. A part of me was still extremely worried about my future but having Santana with me _now_ was enough to stop the negative thoughts from consuming me.

I wasn't naïve, I knew we were going to go through hell before things got better. I always tried my best to shut out my fears about facing the Mildans, but sometimes, it was just too hard to pretend that I wasn't scared. The future of my planet and my people was resting solely on my shoulders. And I was only a teenager... _Do you know how scary that is? _I would have to face the Mildan King, one of the most feared men in the entire universe, at the age of twenty and right now, I only had _one_ of my powers.

_It's so messed up... _

I felt a tear slip down my cheek and I quickly brushed it away with my fingertips. I wasn't weak, I shouldn't show any signs of weakness. I was chosen for this and I would fulfil my destiny, I couldn't fail- _no._

Without warning, Santana's hold on me tightened and I took in a deep breath before closing my eyes again. The future was going to come no matter what, which meant that I should at least _try _to enjoy the present... I shouldn't obsesses over something that I had no ability to ever predict.

* * *

"You're asking her to prom, right?" Sam inquired while giving me a pointed look; I sheepishly shook my head and he furrowed his eyebrows together. "Why not, Q? It'll be the perfect time to tell her that you're freaking in love with her..."

"Santana can't be my date, it's prohibited."

"Prohibited?"

"I mean-_ never mind_, I just can't ask her... Plus, I'm pretty sure that she's going with Brittany."

"If you refuse to make a move, then of course she will. Why can't you see that she's just as into you? That girl would do anything for you, Q..."

"That doesn't mean she likes me, Sam." I desperately wanted to explain to Sam our whole dynamic but _that_ was against the rules; it would've made things easier if he knew everything though. "She just _really_ cares about me, alright? It's complicated."

"It's only complicated because you're making it complicated..." Sam stated matter-of-factly before bringing a handful of fries to his mouth. "I don't understand why you choose to be unhappy when the person you want is right there in front of you."

"Swallow before speaking, Sammy," I scrunched my face up in fake disgust and he just rolled his eyes. "Look, I know that if I ask her to prom, she'll say yes without question, but I don't want her to go with me cause she feels obliged too... I want her to be my date because she wants to be."

"So... You want her to ask you to prom?" I bit my lower lip to stop myself from shouting out_ 'yes'- _that was _exactly_ what I wanted Santana to do. I knew that it would kill me to see her with anyone else during prom; it was our last meaningful high school event and I wanted us to experience it together. "Quinn, I suggest that you just ask her."

"I already explained to you why I can't do that," I sighed weightily before holding my head in my hands. "Forget about it, Sam."

"Santana's badass and everything, but I noticed that she's a coward when it comes to feelings..."

"Sam—"

"Just hear me out for a second," he interrupted me and I reluctantly nodded for him to continue. "I've hung out with the two of you enough to know that she's into you too... I mean, come on, when you two are together, the sexual tension in the air is enough to kill a person," he said jokingly but I didn't even smile. "Okay... What I'm trying to say is that if it's already hard for you to admit how you feel; it's even harder for her. I don't really get it, but I can tell that she's constantly controlling herself whenever she's around you. Like she's scared of her body's natural reaction to yours..."

"It's kinda creepy how observant you are..." I teased, trying to brush away the unneeded hope that Sam's words were giving me. "I hate you."

"No, you love me because without me, you'd just keep trying to convince yourself that you're fine with being _just friends_ with Santana..."

"But what if being more than friends messes everything up?" I asked him worriedly; it was one of my biggest fears actually... I loved how Santana and I were with each other and I didn't want it to change just because I couldn't keep my feelings to myself.

"Can you just start living your life? The whole worrying-thing doesn't solve anything... You know what you want and you know that you should go for it, stop over thinking it."

"I really hate you."

"Love you too, Q," Sam smirked at me before getting up from his side of the table and making his way over to mine so he could give me a tight side-hug.

* * *

Prom was two weeks away, which meant it was _'asking season'_ already. People were making grand gestures in the halls, in the cafeteria, in the parking lot... _Everywhere_. It was such an interesting ritual and I found the creativity that my fellow students exhibited incredibly amusing. "That's so sweet," I commented while Santana and I were walking towards our shuttle, referring to the car with the word _'PROM?'_ written on the windshield in bold while letters.

"Yeah, it is..."

Santana entered our vehicle first and I quickly followed suit. "So... Do you _um_- do you have a date or whatever?"

"For prom? Not yet," she shook her head before starting the car. "Did Sam ask you already?"

"Uh, Sam's taking someone else and I didn't want him to be my date."

"Yeah?" She shifted her eyes to me briefly before focusing on the road again. "I was sure that you guys were going together since you were each other's dates to Homecoming."

"Does that mean you're going with Brittany?"

"I just said that I didn't have a date yet, Quinn," she shrugged her shoulders; her voice remaining emotionless and unreadable. "I don't know if I'm even going."

"What? But it's prom, Santana..."

"It's just some Earthling dance, it's not that big of a deal..." I shut my mouth and we drove in silence; after a few minutes, she parked the car inside our garage and I quickly got out, slamming the door behind me. "Okay, what did I do wrong this time?" She yelled out after me and I continued up the stairs without looking back. "Quinn!" I entered my room and plopped down face first onto my bed- _s__he doesn't even want to go. _"Hey, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing, just leave me alone." My words were muffled because of the fact that my mouth was pressed against my bed's sheets, but I was still pretty sure that Santana understood me. I felt Santana wrap her arms around me and before I could stop her, she was lifting me up from my bed and carrying me out of my room. "Santana, let me go!" I tried to free myself from her hold but I knew it was useless.

"No, we need to talk," she brought me into a hidden room that I have never seen before, she set me down on some chair before closing the metal door and inputting some lock code. "We're not leaving this place until we resolve whatever _this_ is..."

"You can't just lock me in here, Santana," I felt fury building up inside of me and I knew it wasn't a good idea for us to be confined in such a small space. "I need to get out of here."

"Just calm down and talk to me... I promise that I'll let you out as soon as we fix things."

Without another word, I abruptly stood up and aimed for the door, I then shot out a lone laser beam at it... Before my mind could comprehend what was happening, my body was flying across the room; eventually hitting the wall opposite to where I was first standing. I gripped my arm that impacted with the metal, trying to figure out what on Agron just happened. I looked around the room and saw Santana clutching her forearm, the sight of blood and raw skin making my heart stop momentarily.

"Santana, w-what happened?" I asked, shocked, confused and scared.

"These walls are bullet-proof, explosion-proof and also _laser-proof_," she struggled out, while applying pressure to her burnt and wounded skin. "That wasn't such a good idea, Quinn..." She chuckled out, biting her lower lip right after. I started tearing up as soon as I was able to piece what happened together- _this was all my fault_. "You're fine though, right?"

"Santana—"

"Answer me first, Quinn."

"Yeah, I'm completely fine," I rushed to her side and inspected her injury; it looked serious and knowing that I caused it made me want to vomit. "We should get you some help."

"No, I just need to go to my training room and get some ointment... I'll be okay, don't worry, it's just a scratch."

"Santana, I'm so s-sorry," I sobbed out; the guilt eating me alive. "I didn't know that was going to happen."

"It was an accident, Quinn... Don't worry, this is nothing. Better me than you, alright?"

"Don't say that," I tried wiping away my tears to clear my vision but they just kept coming. "I'm such an idiot," I stated, while hitting the floor repeatedly in frustration; not really certain about _what_ I was trying to accomplish by doing so.

"Stop," she held both of my hands in hers and stopped me from moving them, she brought my palms to her lips and gave them both a quick kiss each. "Please don't hurt yourself, princess... I'm fine, I promise, _I'm fine_."

"I'm so sorry."

"And I forgive you, let's just get out of here first, alright?"

"Yeah, okay," I agreed and we both left the panic room; my heart still felt like it was going to cave in on itself at any moment though.

I couldn't believe that I just _sort of_ shot Santana... I hurt the person that I loved the most. My head was spinning because of all of the feelings that were going through my body. I sat down in the living room, unsure of how to deal with everything that just occurred.

"So... Are you finally going to explain to me what's going on?" Santana asked before sitting beside me on the couch, her arm was wrapped up in a bandage and I could tell that she cleaned up the gash already. "Look,_ all better_," she extended her arm to me with a grin. "Forget about it, okay? It's nothing..."

"How can you say that? I basically just shot you!"

"No... I got hit by a laser beam that bounced off the wall, _you didn't shoot me_,_ Quinn_. It was my fault anyway, we really shouldn't have been in there in the first place."

"Santana, don't do that please... Don't try to make me feel better, I'd actually prefer it if you got mad at me right now."

"It was just an accident, Quinn," she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Can we just talk about _why_ we went inside the panic room in the first place? Why were you mad at me- was it because of prom?"

"It doesn't matter anymore..."

"As long as it has something to do with you, it matters to me, alright?" I exhaled deeply as more tears rolled down my cheeks. "Please stop crying, I don't like seeing you sad."

"Why are you so perfect?"

"Huh?"

"I freaking shot you in the arm and yet, you're still thinking about my petty problems... Yeah, I was mad a while ago because you seemed like you didn't want to go to prom." She opened her mouth to say something, but I continued before she could, trying to let it all out before fear could take over. "I was mad because I wanted you to be my date to prom and I know it sounds so stupid now, but I don't know, _I just_- I'm so stupid when it comes to you."

"Quinn—"

"If I haven't made it obvious enough, I'm in love with you, San... I know it's wrong and I shouldn't be, but there's no denying the way that I feel about you anymore. I just can't do it."

"_What_?"

"You heard me... I love you and it's so much more than just the love a person feels for their protector. I'm so stupidly in love with you, Santana and I just can't keep it in any longer."

As soon as I confessed my feelings for her, the massive weight in my chest disappeared. I haven't felt _this light_ in so long; it was like I was finally breathing properly again. I closed my eyes and took in deep breaths to try to calm myself down, my heart was beating at light speed and I didn't know what to expect next. When I finally opened my eyes again, I was met with the sight of the upper portion of the living room and not of my guardian's face.

"Q-Quinn..."

"What's happening?" I asked frantically; my eyes searching the room for Santana.

"You're _umm_- you're flying..."

"_What_?"

"Quinn, _wait_, hold on a second, what do you mean that you're in love with me?" Santana asked in shock, still frozen in the same spot. "I- _you can't_—"

"I don't really want to have this conversation while I'm floating, alright?" I frustratedly interrupted her. "What the hell is going on?"

"Just relax, _umm-_ can you control it?"

"No!" I started swinging my feet around, propelling my body around the room. "Santana!"

"Chill out, Quinn, I'll figure it out..." Santana jumped onto the couch and reached for me, she gripped my feet and carefully pulled me downwards. My body was resisting the force, but she was strong enough to keep me still about 2 feet above the ground. "Breathe, Quinn, calm yourself down... Maybe this power is connected to your anger too, just try to relax."

I squeezed my eyes shut and began taking in deep calming breaths. "It's not working." I groaned out as soon as my body began feeling inexplicably lighter; my legs began slipping from her grasp and I panicked. "San!"

"Okay, uhh, do the opposite then! Fight it, stress yourself out," she instructed me and I closed my eyes again; this time, I thought about everything that I resented. _All of the things that made my blood boil... _I felt my limbs becoming heavier and heavier until they started weighing my whole body down, ultimately causing me to land on top of my guardian on the couch. I was breathing heavily; my mind in chaos, trying its best to process what just happened.

"What was that?"

"Your second power, I guess," Santana replied from underneath me. I nodded absentmindedly before lifting myself off of her and sitting at the other end. "Are you okay?"

"_Amazing_," I muttered out sarcastically. "What do you think?"

"Quinn—"

"This is a sign... Even the gods think I'm making a mistake," I held my head in my hands and clenched my jaw. "I shouldn't have told you."

"Quinn, stop, let's just talk about it first, alright?"

"I don't want to... Forget about it, San- how about we just pretend that it didn't happen?"

"But it_ did _happen and I honestly think we should discuss things," she pushed, staring at me intently. "Please, Quinn?"

"Okay, what?" I demanded, finally meeting her gaze. "What do you want to talk about?"

"_You_," she replied with no hesitation at all; her voice was caring enough to extract most of my anger and cool down my palms.

I exhaled deeply, trying to figure out how I was going to deal with my guardian now. "I'm not sure what to say anymore, but I already said what you needed to know. I'm not really expecting anything from you, I just couldn't keep it in any longer..."

"Are you sure?"

"About?" I raised an eyebrow confusedly. "My feelings for you? Are you seriously asking me if—"

"I mean, I'm just- _ugh_," she stood up from her seat and began pacing around the living room. "This is my fault, I should've acted more professional towards you. I shouldn't have allowed this to happen..." She balled her hands into fists and pressed them onto her eyes. "What do we do now?"

It was a strange feeling; _having simple words shatter your heart_.

"_We _don't have to do anything." I mumbled out, keeping my breathing as even as possible. There was this exquisite ache throbbing in various parts of my body. It didn't make sense because I knew I wasn't supposed to be in pain, but even if I was trying to be logical, it still hurt. "I'll get over it, San..."

"Quinn, you know we can never be together in _that_ sense... You're the princess of Agron and I'm just _nothing_," she whispered out the last sentence before collapsing beside me. "Someone like you cannot fall in love with someone like me."

I bit my lower lip as tears finally escaped my eyes. "You say that you're nothing when you mean absolutely everything to me..." I breathed out as my cheeks became tearstained. "Following the rules is easier said than done, alright? I'm aware that my feelings for you are forbidden and I've tried stopping myself but I just _can't_ do it. And now everything hurts because I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're—"

"I can't believe I actually told you," I forced out a shaky chuckle. "I already knew that you wouldn't feel the same way and I still did it..." I slowly wiped away some of the tears that were coursing down my cheeks. "_Someone like you cannot fall in love with someone like me._" I mimicked her previous statement and the next thing I knew she was cupping my cheek; her face significantly closer to mine. My breath hitched in my throat because of the close proximity, it was almost as if I was scared to breathe...

"You're the farthest thing from an idiot, but what you just said was so damn stupid," Santana steadily swiped her thumb over the cheek that she was cupping. "Quinn, you can't possibly think like that..." She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Do you know how difficult it is for me to do the right thing when there's this weird flutter in my chest whenever you're around. I never really understood it, and for a while, I tried to convince myself that it was normal because I was born to protect you but it's not... I'm not supposed to have _these feelings_ for you either but _I do_, and I've tried to fight them, I'm _still_ _trying_ to fight them."

I placed my fingers over her hand that was on my face, I knew that I needed to focus on the content of the conversation and not on the effect of her words on me or else I might end up levitating again. "Fighting your feelings is futile... It won't work, Santana."

"We can get in so much trouble if we pursue this... It might even risk your rank in Agron."

"It's funny how you mention _that_ and not the possibility of you being sentenced to exile or death," I tried chuckling to lighten up the exchange, but the gravity of the possible consequences made it hard to do so. "I'm painfully aware of the repercussions that may happen... I just can't bring myself to care anymore, we can deal with the problems when they arise."

"What do you want to do now? You know that I'm not afraid of death, princess..."

"You're not going to die just because you chose to be with me, I'd never allow that," I replied in a serious tone and she nodded before taking in a sharp breath. "I just want you to stop fighting with yourself. If you want to try being together, let's try it, but if you're only doing it for me, please just don't..."

Santana finally closed the small gap between our lips and kissed me.

It wasn't at all like the time her lips briefly brushed mine after she won her first soccer game... _This was different._ The way her lips were moving against mine was firm, passionate, and _just_ _perfect._ As if kissing each other was a natural thing for the both of us. The feeling was intoxicating in the sense that the kiss took me away from reality. I wasn't sure what I expected the feeling to be like but I was certain that this surpassed it...

Santana was amazing.

She pulled away after a few moments and I was left craving for more. "Does it seem like I'm only doing it for you?" I shook my head and she used the back of her hand to wipe off all of the remnants of my tears. "I'm actually being extremely selfish right now, but I don't think I can stop myself anymore. I've been fighting with myself for way too long..."

"It's okay, I don't want you to stop yourself," I wrapped my arms around her body and buried my face into her neck. We both just stayed silent for a while and I tried my best to memorize the wonderful feeling pulsating inside of me; Santana cupped my chin and made me look her in the eye.

"Are you _sure_ you want to do this?"

I knew that we would've ended up arguing again if I spoke, so I decided to just crash our lips together for another kiss; a rougher one. I was in control this time and I was acting on this mixture of love and lust. I pushed her down so her back was resting against the couch and I was hovering over her; her hands found their way to my hips and I wrapped my arms around her neck. I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a small moan as soon as her tongue came in contact with my lips.

I was barely given time to react before her tongue was making its way inside my mouth, I was't complaining though. _Not at all..._ My body felt like jelly and I didn't understand why it felt _so_ good to kiss my guardian like this. She broke the lip lock and I let out an annoyed noise.

"Sorry... But my back isn't touching the couch anymore," Santana explained and I looked down and saw that we were both airborne. "It's gonna hurt when you let go of me, huh?"

"Don't worry, I won't let go... Just hold on also, okay?" I tightened my grip around her neck and she pulled me in even closer; I kissed her again and I felt our bodies rise even higher.

* * *

I was talking to Sam in the hallway when Rachel walked up to us and shoved me to the nearest set of lockers. I bit my lower lip because of the pain in my back but I tried my best not to appear hurt. Sam attempted to put himself in between us, but Rachel told a couple of her jocks to restrain him.

"Why is everyone saying that you're with Santana?" She inquired in her HBIC voice, trapping me in between herself and the lockers. "You knew Brittany liked her!" She sharply stabbed my shoulder with her finger; I clenched my fists as tightly as possible, trying my best not to retaliate with violence. "You tell me off for hurting Brittany and then you do this."

"Rachel, I—" I started in a relatively calm tone, I was aware that all of the nearby students were watching us, so it was necessary for me to control my actions.

"I knew from the start that the two of you weren't just _best friends_," she spat the last two words out disgustedly. "You're off the _Cheer_—" Before she could even finish her statement, she was being roughly pulled away from me by my guardian. I gulped as soon as my eyes landed on Santana, who was furiously dragging Rachel to the other side of the hall. "Let go of me, Lopez!"

"Santana, let go of her now!" I yelled out, trying to pacify the scene before it was too late. I ran after them and gripped my guardian's arm. "I'm ordering you to stop... _Please_," I said in a softer tone, finally making her look at me. "Just don't, she isn't worth it."

"Did she hurt you?"

"No," I lied, keeping my face void of any emotion. "I'm fine, I swear, just let go of her already."

She hesitantly loosened her grip on Rachel's body before retracting her hands. "I swear if you fucking try something like that again, I will—"

"Santana!" I interrupted my guardian's threat before giving her a pointed look. I interlaced our fingers and led her away from the crowd and out of the building, so she could calm herself down. "Don't mind Rachel, I'm okay... I promise."

"What the hell was she doing?"

"She was just angry because people are talking about _us_," I explained cautiously since I wasn't sure how she was going to react. "I guess she's just looking out for Brittany..."

"It doesn't matter, _no one_ is allowed to touch you," my guardian growled out, making my heart melt a bit. She reached out for my waist and pulled me closer for a hug. "I don't like the idea of other people putting their hands on you," she buried her face into my neck. "I really can't wait till we graduate and get out of here."

I pulled away a little and smiled at how adorable she was being. "Whatever, you love it here... You're a freaking star in McKinley."

"I don't care about that kind of stuff," she shrugged before pressing a kiss onto my cheek. "I only care about you."

"Well, I'm all yours now because I'm pretty sure that I just got kicked off the Cheerios."

"We can talk to Sue if you—"

I shushed her with a quick kiss on the lips, I just couldn't resist... "No, stop, I don't care if I'm not a cheerleader anymore, the school year's almost over and Rachel's a bitch... It's fine, I don't need them in my life."

"But—"

"I don't care, San... Let's just empty out my locker later and forget about their existence," I flashed her a small smile before pulling away completely. "Come on, we're both late for class," I told her after checking the time on my phone. "We should get going."

"Yeah, we should," she whispered out before grabbing the hem of my cheer skirt and tugging me towards her again. "Or... _Not_."

I raised an eyebrow while grinning amusedly. "Santana... Are you trying to get me to skip my classes?"

"Maybe."

"You're my guardian... I don't think you're supposed to do that," I replied with a smirk. "You're supposed to be watching over me, right?"

"Well, we're already breaking a number of rules... So I'm sure it'll be fine," she winked at me before wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay," I relented with a fake sigh. "Let's go get my Cheerio stuff and then we can go home."

"Can we just get everything tomorrow?" She pouted and I rolled my eyes playfully before shaking my head, no. "Why not?"

"Cause I'm pretty sure Rachel will burn my things during practice later if I don't retrieve them now," I said in a half serious tone and Santana nodded in understanding. I held her hand again and we walked back into the school and towards the Cheerios' locker room.

* * *

I was halfway done emptying my assigned locker when someone entered the room, I turned around and saw Brittany standing by the entryway with a sad look on her face. Santana was already staring at her when I looked back. "You guys can talk if you want..." I broke the awkward silence that ensued. "I'll just be here."

"Do you want to talk, Britt?" Santana asked in a soft tone; her face masked with an enigmatic expression.

"Yeah..." The blonde replied with a tightlipped smile. "Not to you though, I want to talk to Quinn."

"I don't think that's a good—"

"San, I won't do anything to her, I promise._ It's me..._ I just want to talk to her."

"Sure, Britt, we can talk," I smiled at her before giving Santana a look that told her it was all going to be okay. She cleared her throat and warily left the room, leaving Brittany and I all alone. "So... I'm guessing you're mad at me too."

"I'm not mad at you, Quinn," she sat on the bench closest to my locker and sighed. "I told Rachel not to do that a while ago, but she's just too much of a war freak..."

"You're not mad?"

"Santana never really wanted me anyway," Brittany shrugged her shoulders weakly. "If she did, then we would've been together by now... It was always you for her, I never had a chance."

"That's not true—"

"Do you see the way she looks at you? I'd kill for someone to look at me like that... She looks at you like you're her whole universe, like without you, her life would be meaningless," she sucked in her lower lip. "I knew that I wasn't going to get anywhere with her but for some reason, I just wanted to try, she's so goddamn amazing... I just couldn't stop myself even if I was sure that she only wanted you."

"What do you mean? This is all new, Brittany... I promise."

"No, there's always been something there. You were both just too blind to see it... I'm glad you're finally together though, I can't believe it even took this long."

"I'm sorry..." I whispered out; there was nothing else I could say.

"Don't say sorry, you didn't do anything wrong. Just take care of each other and don't fuck up what you two have, alright?"

I gazed at the Earthling before me, completely speechless. I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth; it was impossible to hate Brittany Pierce. "Yeah, I'll try my best," I replied lamely. "Thanks..."

I wasn't sure if either of us knew what I was thanking her for, but she nodded her head before standing up and silently leaving the room.

* * *

"You're getting good at that." Santana stated smugly from out of nowhere causing me to lose my focus. I began plummeting towards the floor, but before I could come in contact with the hard surface, my guardian easily caught me in her strong arms. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't sneak up on you when you're flying..."

I folded my arms over my chest and scowled in a joking manner. "_You think_?"

"Aw, don't be mad at me, princess," she kissed me right on the lips, immediately making me smile. "Are you excited for prom later?" I shrugged my shoulders before motioning for her to put me down, she didn't though. "You're going to look amazing tonight."

I blushed a little because of the unexpected compliment. "Yeah, I guess I'm_ kind of_ excited," I downplayed, knowing full-well how I was _really _feeling inside.

"I'm just hoping that there won't be any drama later... I swear, if Rachel tries anything, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from—"

"Shh," I gently pressed a finger onto her lips. "Even if she messes with us later, you _won't_ do anything because she isn't worth it. Don't mind any of the humans, San... Tonight will be about you and I- _no one else_."

"Okay," she nodded before leaning in for another peck, followed by another, and one more after that. "I'm sorry, this is pretty addicting."

I grinned at her and swiped my thumb over her lower lip. "Don't worry, I'm not really complaining."

After a quick make out session, _or two_, she finally placed me back on my wobbly feet, and we both went up to our respective bedrooms to get ready for Senior Prom.

_That night proved to be one of the most magical nights of my entire life._

...


	4. Chapter 4

****** Same general plot, relatively-paltry changes. Mm, except I don't want to work with "Aiden" anymore. I just really think that there are some things better left in the past. Smiley.

* * *

**C4**

There was something remarkably unbelievable about the fact that I could touch Santana whenever I wanted to. It almost felt like a fantasy since I've dreamt about it for _so long_. To have the actual privilege to do so was surreal to say the least... I felt like I was living in a prolonged daydream.

"Hi, beautiful." My cheeks burned as soon as I heard those two words escape my guardian's lips; I pressed my face onto her shoulder and allowed her to direct both of our movements on the dance floor. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing,_ nothing's wrong_, I'm just really happy right now..."

"Good, I'm happy too." I wanted to kiss her so badly at that moment, but I knew that any form of PDA wasn't allowed in McKinley dances... Plus, Rachel and Brittany were both in the room and I really wasn't in the mood for any conflicts- _our night was playing out perfectly_. "Mm, why'd it take us_ so long_ to be together again?"

"Because it's kinda illegal," I reminded her lightheartedly and she chuckled, mumbling out an adorable _'oh yeah'_. "I really should've told you sooner though..."

"We're so screwed when we get back to Agron, huh?"

"Don't think about it, we'll just deal with whatever happens when the time comes..." She nodded and leant forward to place a sneakily brief peck on my lips.

Afterwards, we both got off the dance floor and decided to just sit down in one of the nearby tables. Sam came over at some point and began teasing the both of us. I glared at him but Santana just brushed off all his playful jabs. Of course, Rachel ended up becoming prom queen and Brittany was part of the prom court... Santana was a candidate, but I guess her popularity took a drastic nosedive after she quit the soccer team.

All in all, it was a pretty good night, an interesting way to wrap up my high school life...

_Yeah, there was still graduation- but Senior Prom was just inexplicably special._

* * *

Santana drove us home after everything was more or less over, she asked me if I wanted to go to any of the after-parties but I declined._ I just wanted to be with her..._ As soon as we made it through the front door, I gripped her wrist and pulled her towards the stairs and up to my room. I unzipped her dress without a word and allowed the material to pool around her ankles, then I pushed her down onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" She asked confusedly; her brown eyes turning almost coal-black right in front of me.

"Making this night even more special," I answered vaguely before taking off my own gown. I boldly straddled her hips and connected our lips together for a deep kiss. I reached behind her, unhooked her bra without warning, and slid it off her shoulders. _The sight of Santana half naked was utterly mesmerizing... _I just kept kissing her for a while, trying to muster up enough courage to actually touch her.

When my fingertips finally touched her bare chest, she gulped quietly.

"Quinn... _Wait_, I think we're going too fast," she forced the words through a clenched jaw. It was obvious she was fighting with herself, with her conscience, with her morals. But without a doubt, she wanted me too; it was written all over her breathtaking face.

I shook my head. "No, please, I want this... I've been thinking about this for so long, trust me, _I want you to be my first_."

"A-are you sure?" She questioned, shaking her head, looking more conflicted than I've ever seen her before. Her fingernails were digging into the sheets, her beautiful eyes narrowed, fixed on nothing but me. I felt my heart skip a beat; there was just something about the way my guardian would look at me that set my blood on fire, she looked at me like I was her whole world, like I was her everything.

I couldn't think of anyone else in the entire universe that I'd actually want to have sex with. Ideally, I was supposed to wait for marriage and save myself for the next king of Agron... But given the choice between intimacy based on royal virtues and intimacy based on true love, I believe it's obvious which of the two I planned wholeheartedly yielding my body to.

_If there was no certainty that my body could be Santana's forever, then at least it could be guaranteed that it was hers first... _

Also, as a curious teenager, it was honestly close to impossible for me to ignore all of the corporeal urges constantly circulating in my head. I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know how anything would/should feel, but I knew that I wanted to be with Santana in_ all ways_. I wanted to create a particular connection with my guardian that would transcended each and every one of its precursors. _True_, neither of us were planning to have sex yet but frankly, I didn't see the point in waiting.

I wanted Santana... I couldn't wait- I_ wasn't going to _wait any longer. Now that I have finally succumbed to my selfish desires, I couldn't slow down, I wanted all of her, and I wasn't going to let _anything_ delay me any longer.

For months, there has been this puzzling fire growing deep inside me; a fire fuelled by nothing except my insoluble yearning for my guardian. I knew things were moving fast, but I _also_ already knew then, that Santana was- and always would be- the love of my life. So really, if you think about it, we've both been traveling toward this point for much longer than what was measurable using actual units of time.

_I was always meant to be hers and she was always meant to be mine... _

"Please."

"Quinn, no, we really shouldn't, ugh, I want to but—"

"Santana, listen to me, I love you, I love you _so much_ it makes my head spin," I cup her cheek and swipe my thumb across her cheekbone, back and forth. "Every bone in my body wants this, every bone in my body wants _you_... I know you're scared and I'm scared too, _but I need this_, it has to be you, it can't be anyone else."

"What do you mean?"

"We both have no control over the future, but we at least have a say in the present," I tuck some of her hair behind her ear, using my eyes to convey to her everything that I felt but couldn't verbalize using language, willing her to listen to me. "You're the one I want and tonight, there are no thrones, no kings, no powers, no wars- it's just you and I, _it's just us_... So please, _love me_."

She flipped us over so she would be the one on top of me, she began pressing wet kisses all over the exposed parts of my skin causing my heart rate to significantly speed up. "Are you sure that you want this?" I nodded distractedly as she effortlessly got rid of my underwear with one hand, her dilated eyes flitting up and down my exposed form, absorbing every single thing about me. "Quinn... _Wow_, you're so—"

"Hold on," I began feeling insecure all of a sudden and I tried covering up a little but she quickly albeit gently stopped me. "Just give me a second, I'm okay, I'm just—"

"You're perfect," she began paying attention to my bare chest, her teeth and tongue causing spikes of pure pleasure to surge through me. I arched my back in both desire and submission, loving the feeling of her warm mouth all-over my flushed body. Once she paid enough attention to my chest, she moved southward, her tongue dragging its way down my skin, lower and lower, closer and closer. "If there's even a slight chance that you'll regret this, _stop me now_," she said the last three words through tightly gritted teeth. "You have to stop me now..."

At that moment, she was obviously still fighting with herself, but there was something about her darkened features that clearly told me that she wanted to _be with_ me as much as I wanted to _be with _her. There may have been an infinite number of things that forbade us from doing what we were planning to do, but right then and there, none of it mattered... Nothing really mattered aside from the way our hearts were seemingly beating in tune with one another's.

"No, I want to do this with you, _I love you_," I whispered out and she smiled before shifting her tongue even lower and slowly sliding it through me for the first time. I squeezed my eyes shut when she started moving with abandon, making me feel rapturous sensations that I've never felt before. _I had no idea this was going to feel this good... _I reflexively canted my hips upwards, my body burning and quivering, in need of _something more_, which my guardian quickly fulfilled using her dextrous fingers. "S-Santana—" I whimpered out, my eyelids screwed shut.

"Are you okay?" She asked, slowing down and I took in a sharp breath through my nose, nodding my head.

"Yeah, I'm fine, keep going," I pulled her up so we were face-to-face again, I threaded my fingers through her hair and crashed our lips, darting my tongue into her mouth without warning, making her moan loudly. Within seconds, I fell over the edge of a precipice that would permanently make it impossible for me to see Santana as anything other than my lover, _other than the love of my life_.

As a princess I may have been given everything I could possibly want while I was growing up, but up until that particular point in time, I could honestly say that I never knew what true, mind-numbing, heart-stopping elation felt like.

_I loved her and that was all that mattered._

* * *

It was a bit after sunrise when I awoke a few hours later. Some of the morning light was streaming into my bedroom from the curtained windows. Santana was still asleep and I was gently running my fingertips over the patch of healing skin on her arm. Everything felt so surreal, even if there was this distinct ache in my muscles, a part of me still couldn't believe that last night happened.

I was aware that Santana still hasn't verbally declared that she loved me, but it didn't matter, I _knew_ that she did. It doesn't matter if she hasn't said it out loud yet, she _showed me_ that she did through her actions last night... _Mm, b__y the third round, we were both defying gravity since I just couldn't control myself anymore. _There were a lot of things that we needed to worry about, a lot of things that we needed to discuss, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around anything other than the fact that I was so happy.

_I finally got what I've always wanted, I finally had Santana._

My guardian began to stir a little and I quickly stopped stroking her skin; I didn't want her to wake up yet. I snuggled even closer to her body and wrapped an arm around her torso. "I love you, San," I whispered out, almost secretly, before pressing a kiss onto her bare shoulder and closing my eyes again, prolonging the bliss I felt for as long as I possibly could.

...

"Mmm, good morning," I mumbled out when I felt Santana's lips on my neck. "What time is it?"

"Quinn-time," she shrugged her shoulders before adorably smiling at me. "Good morning, beautiful..."

"You're beautiful," I asserted through a soft yawn, blinking away the sleepiness. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, it's a Saturday, so we have training..."

"No, no training today," I stated in an adamant tone before rolling on top of my guardian and kissing her deeply, aware that we were both still completely naked. "If you stay in this bed, I promise to make it worth your while..." I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively before letting my hands wander purposefully, squeezing, caressing.

"_Uhh_, Quinn," she rasped out in a voice that sent a shot of arousal to my very core. "_This_ is exactly why a relationship like ours is prohibited... It messes with our priorities." It was obvious that Santana was feeling incredibly torn, so I took the decision into my own hands, pressing a trail of firm kisses down her neck. "I'm not gonna win against you, huh?"

I smugly shook my head, no, making her sigh. "We can train later or... _Tomorrow._" She flashed me an amused grin and I kissed her again, introducing my tongue to the lip lock without hesitation. "But today, I just want to stay in bed with you..." I mumbled against her lips when we broke the heated kiss for air.

"Fine," she let out an exaggerated groan before pressing adoring kiss after adoring kiss onto my lips. "But tomorrow—"

"Tomorrow doesn't matter," I hastily straddled her hips and grinned down at her. "For now, tomorrow doesn't matter," I winked at her before once again making it my personal mission to make my guardian see stars without actual space travel...

* * *

Based on my understanding, graduations were supposed to be happy affairs... That's why I didn't understand why there was something that resembled depression lingering in the air. I noticed it in the way people smiled, as if they were simply forcing their lips to curve for the myriad of digital cameras. My eyes landed on Rachel Berry and she seemed _different_ in comparison to her usual assertive self; her movements lethargic, almost sloppy.

"Hey, Q," Sam greeted me before giving me a hug and flashing Santana a smile of acknowledgement. "You guys excited to graduate?"

Santana just shrugged her shoulders but Sam was used to her silence and apathy by now. "Yeah, we can't wait to get out of here," I answered for the both of us and Sam smirked at me knowingly. "McKinley is just too dramatic..."

"I know what you mean, you two are heading to California, right?" Santana nodded, yes, and Sam continued talking. "You know, you never actually told me what college you guys were going to..." My eyes widened slightly, I tried coming up with a quick lie but my mind was blank. "Quinn?"

"We're both taking a gap year, Sam... It probably just slipped Quinn's mind to tell you," Santana explained and I smiled at how clever she was. "Quinn mentioned that you were going to Washington?"

"Yeah, Seattle." The football player replied with a proud grin. "I'm going to stick around Lima till like August though... When are you two leaving?"

"As soon as possible..." Santana answered vaguely, earning her curious looks from both Sam and I. "Like Quinn said, McKinley is just too dramatic." The three of us politely conversed with one another until the speaker told all of the students to settle down in their respective seats.

The parents in the room were what piqued my interest the most. Some students had both parents present, while some only had one parent there, and there were also students like Santana and I with no parents with them. Seeing mothers and fathers eminently proud of their offsprings made me miss my own parents and the way they supported me... I knew they were both probably long gone by now, killed by the Mildans as soon as we escaped Agron, but a part of me was still holding onto the slim chance that I'll see them again once peace is restored.

I was a bit nervous when it was my turn to march up the stage and retrieve my diploma. I remained calm though, knowing I couldn't trip in front of everyone... The principal handed me the piece of rolled up paper and I smiled at him before bowing slightly. I turned around and saw Santana and Sam beaming at me from their seats. My heart swelled with pride when it was my guardian's turn to march, she looked absolutely lovely in her toga.

I never really understood why the elders _required_ us to attend a whole year of high school but looking back, I didn't regret being a Senior at William McKinley High...

* * *

"Congratulations, Quinn." I smiled at Santana before clipping on my seatbelt and congratulating her too. "Are we going to any of the parties?"

"Who's hosting them?"

"Well, I know Brittany is in charge of one." She shrugged her shoulders while turning the steering wheel. "If you're up for it, we should go... It will probably be the last time you see most of them."

"The last time? _Why_?"

"Well, we're leaving Lima tomorrow..."

"Why so soon?" I asked confusedly. "I thought we could stay for a couple of—"

"No, we're leaving tomorrow." Santana said in a tone, which left no room for argument. "So, are we going to Brittany's party or not?"

"Yeah, okay... I need to say bye to Sam," I replied distractedly. I was trying to figure out why Santana was in such a rush to leave. I wanted to ask her, but it didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it right now.

We both went home and changed into more appropriate clothes before heading over to Brittany's house. The party was already well under way when we got to the cheerleader's place... Some kids decided to party in their togas while some kids decided to party in just their underwear.

Santana kept an arm around my waist while we navigated through the crowds. "Hey, I didn't know you two were coming," Brittany walked up to us and I gave her an awkward smile while Santana hugged her briefly. The slight contact between the two was enough to make me feel jealous, considering their history. "Congratulations, by the way..."

"You too, Brittany," I replied in a sincere tone, ignoring my envy because I knew it was unwarranted. "Have you seen Sam?"

"Kitchen, I think." She made a backward motion with her thumb and I nodded, I felt Santana's hand grip mine and Brittany promptly looked away. "Have fun, alright? We just graduated, we deserve it," Brittany stated offhandedly before walking away without sparing us another glance.

A few minutes later, we found Sam in the kitchen and I could tell that he already had a couple of drinks in his system. "Hey, Sammy!"

"Quinn!" He grinned widely before waving at Santana. "I wasn't expecting to see you guys here, congratulations to all of us!" Sam grabbed shots from the table and handed Santana and I one each. "To getting out of this shithole!" We all drank the liquid and I asked Santana to give Sam and I a few minutes to talk. I hesitated before doing so since I didn't want to leave her alone, but I also knew that I owed Sam a proper farewell.

"I'll be around," Santana began pulling away from me, but I cupped her cheek, and kissed her on the lips for a few seconds. "Take as much time as you need, I'll be right here..." She reassured me before pressing a kiss onto my forehead, letting go of my hand and ultimately walking away.

"I'm glad things seem to be working out for you two," Sam commented as soon as Santana was out of earshot. "I knew you were going to end up together..."

"Thanks for pushing me to go for it."

"What are friends for, right?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I said to him unpremeditatedly, making him furrow his eyebrows in confusion. "I mean, Santana and I are leaving Lima tomorrow..."

"Already?"

"Yeah, I just found out today," I shrugged my shoulders before leaning against the kitchen counter. "I don't know if—"

"We'll see each other again," Sam finished my sentence and I sighed before averting my eyes downwards. "I was wondering why the hell you were at a Pierce party... You're saying goodbye, huh?"

"Something like that."

"Are you going to let me in on your secret before you go?" Sam asked in a hopeful tone and I shook my head amusedly. "Well, _whatever_... I'm still glad we became friends, Rivers."

"Same here, Evans. I—" The sound of yelling from the living room cut me off. "What's going on?" Sam and I cautiously entered the living room and saw Rachel in the middle of a crowd, crying her eyes out. I felt hands on my hips before it even registered that Santana was behind me. "What's wrong with her?"

"From what I gathered, Finn and her are over..." Santana kissed the side of my head and I melted into her hold a little. "Are you done talking to Sam?" She murmured into my ear; her breath causing goosebumps to form on my arms. "Cause I want to get out of here."

"Not yet," I said in response before removing myself from her grip. "And if you keep doing _that_, I won't be able to finish."

"_Sorry_," she winked at me and I rolled my eyes playfully. Brittany then arrived and took Rachel away, separating the brunette from our over-curious peers. Once the scene dissipated, everyone resumed partying as if nothing happened... I spoke to Sam for about twenty more minutes; it was a peculiar conversation since we both knew it would be our last one.

"I'm going to miss you..."

"I'll miss you too, Sam." He wrapped his arms around me and I hugged him back instantly. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You too." I nodded before releasing him. "See you in another life?"

"See you in another life," I repeated and he grinned. I looked around and Santana was by my side in a couple of seconds, I joined our hands, making sure to hold onto hers tightly. My guardian said goodbye to Sam and I smiled at him one more time before we began walking in the direction of the exit. "Are you going to tell me why—"

"Quinn!" I turned around and saw Brittany standing by the foot of the stairs. "Are you guys leaving already?" Santana nodded while I just stared at the other blonde perplexedly, wondering why she called my name. "Can I borrow Quinn first?"

My guardian stepped forward in a protective manner and I tugged her back towards me. "Why, what's up?" I asked in the best_ 'friendly'_ tone that I could manage.

"Rachel just wants to talk to you for a bit..." Santana began shaking her head and I scrunched up my eyebrows. "Please? I promise there won't be any funny business."

"Britt, sorry but I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Nothing bad will happen, San... Just five minutes."

"Yeah, okay," I agreed, meriting a raised eyebrow from my guardian. "It'll be fine, you'll be there anyway," I kissed her on the cheek to calm her dow. I didn't miss the way Brittany's face cringed a bit at the gesture; the cheerleader led us up the stairs and into her room, where Rachel was sitting on the bed. "You wanted to talk?"

"Rivers," she addressed me in a professional tone. "Yeah, can we talk in private?" Santana and I argued silently for a couple of minutes, she agreed to wait with Brittany outside as long as the door remained ajar. "I'm pretty sure you know that Finn and I are over..."

"Yeah?"

"_And I_- I just wanted to apologize to you..."

"For?" I twisted my face up in confusion. "You're saying sorry to me for ending it with Finn?"

"Don't be stupid," Rachel responded sharply. "I'm apologizing for everything I've done to you before we part ways, I know I've been cruel to you in the past even if you didn't deserve it..."

I was honestly dumbfounded by Rachel's unexpected apology. "Why now?"

"Because we just graduated and you won."

"Won what?"

"I may have been number one in McKinley, but you're the one who's going to do something great with your life... I knew _that_ ever since our first conversation. I hate to admit it, but I was jealous and I guess that's why I found it so satisfying to mess with you." I raised both eyebrows at the confession. "Plus, maybe I was also a bit intimidated by you..."

"You can't predict the future..."

"Well, I can predict _my_ future... I'm going to be bitter and unhappy because I peaked in high school." She wiped away the tears in her eyes. "You though, you're going to be successful no matter what and since you have Santana... You'll be happy, for sure."

"You really liked her, huh?" I asked, deciding it was a good idea to stray away from talking about my destiny.

_She couldn't find out about Agron..._

"_Maybe_, I guess it has something to do with that slushie-facial she gave me during the first day," Rachel shrugged one shoulder, a smile playing on her lips. "But Brittany called dibs first... And now she's yours."

"I love her, Rachel."

"I know," she bared her teeth in a genuine smile. "You two are going to do amazing things with your lives..."

"You will too, you just have to stop trying to convince yourself that a place on top of some cheer pyramid sums up your worth as a person."

She sighed deeply before nodding. "Okay, get out of here... Santana will probably burst through that door if I keep you away from her any longer."

"Bye, Rachel," I said quietly before opening the door and leaving the room, I saw Santana and Brittany talking in the hall. _Well, Brittany was crying to my guardian.._. I cleared my throat rather awkwardly and Santana focused on me straight away. "Do you guys need some more time? I can wait," I offered but they both shook their heads.

"It's okay... We're done, Quinn," Brittany walked up to me and hugged me, surprising me significantly. "You guys take care, alright? Santana said this was probably the last time I'd see you both..." She placed a quick kiss on my cheek. "Bye, Quinn."

"Goodbye, Brittany."

* * *

The drive home from the party was a quiet one, Santana and I were both too wrapped up in our own thoughts to have an actual conversation. The uncharacteristic silence was only broken a few minutes after we got home. "Am I supposed to pack now?"

"No, it's fine... We can do it later," Santana sat down on the couch and stretched out her arms. "Come here." I yielded to her request and got comfortable in my guardian's arms. She pulled me close and began placing kisses all over my skin, making me a tad restless. "_Sorry_, I just can't control myself when it comes to you."

"Santana, _wait_," I gently moved her head away so I could think properly. "I wanted to ask you something..."

"Yeah?" She found a way to start sucking on my pulse point, making me whimper. "Why don't you ask me later?" She ran her tongue along the sensitive skin on my throat.

"No, _now_," I abruptly stood up, slightly breathless. "Why do we have to leave so soon?" I questioned while combing a hand through my disheveled hair. "I don't understand..."

"We don't have to discuss this right now."

"You're hiding something from me..." It was more of a statement than a question and we both knew it. "What is it?"

"There's a bounty on your head and an approximate location on the reward sheet," Santana said in a composed voice. "Well, the location is bullshit since they only zeroed in on the group of galaxies that the Milky Way belongs to... Don't worry, the chances of them finding you before we have to go back to Agron are almost non-existent, I swear."

"How much?"

"I don't think that's _rele_—"

"Santana, how much?"

"A million Bizers."

"What?" My mouth fell open as dread filled my body. "That's worth more than this whole solar system..."

"I know that, but it doesn't matter, no one will be able to claim it because I'm going to keep you safe." She reached out for both of my hands and pulled me down onto the couch, she positioned me in a way that my head was resting on her lap. "You trust me, right?" I nodded and she smiled before kissing me, forcing me to stop thinking about the bounty. "No one will hurt you..." She kept teasingly pecking at my lips, to the point that I was whining to get some more contact with her.

"Stop moving, San," I grabbed both of her cheeks to keep her still and I guided her face closer to mine so I could finally kiss her properly.

Knowing that there were notorious hunters out there searching for me was terrifying, but I had Santana and she promised that she was going to protect me, and that promise alone was more than enough to dispel my fears.

* * *

I marveled at the sight of the vast cityscape. Los Angeles was something else entirely. The drastic change in scenery marked the start of a new period of our lives... We've been on planet Earth for a bit over a year, which meant we had less than two years to make sure that I was ready to face the Mildan king, that I was ready to take back my planet and free my people.

Also, less than two years to figure out what Santana and I were going to do in terms of our relationship... Everything was just happening so fast, I could barely keep up. A part of me wished that we didn't have to leave Lima, but I knew we couldn't stay in one place for too long- _especially since there was an intergalactic bounty on my head. _There was this ever-present apprehensive feeling in the pit of my stomach, constantly reminding me that even if my life _felt_ perfect... It wasn't.

"Hey, are you okay?" Santana asked, her eyes leaving the windshield for a split second to glance at me on the passenger's seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I managed a smile even if my brain was envisioning awful things related to our future. I sucked in a sharp breath before clearing my pessimistic mind. I then decided to put an end to the comfortable silence that arose in order to distract myself. _Santana was my favorite distraction from my fears. _"Why LA?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when we first arrived on Earth, you asked me where I wanted to live and if I remember correctly the two choices were LA and Ohio... So if we went to Lima to attend high school- why Los Angeles?"

"You know how Sue lives in Lima? Well, we have another contact who resides in LA, so I guess that's the reason..." Santana shrugged while steering right and entering a comparatively smaller street, she parked the car beside a white building and let out a contented-sounding sigh. "We're here, princess..."

"We're not staying in a house?"

"I guess not, the address was just given to me by Marley."

"Marley? That's his name?"

"_Her_," Santana corrected me before opening her door, inspecting the surroundings and finally letting me out of the vehicle. "Let's get you inside, I'll just run back for the bags later." I agreed without question because I knew she wasn't going to take '_no'_ for an answer anyway. We walked up the front steps and Santana pressed on the buzzer beside the large door. The door swung open after a couple of seconds, revealing a pale, petite girl with layered dark brown hair.

"You two are finally here," she exposed her perfect set of white teeth by charmingly beaming at the both of us. "Welcome to your new home, I'm Marley Rose..."

Our _actual apartment_ was a huge loft that took up the whole top floor of the building, it had spectacular view of the night sky and the blinking city lights. "This is amazing," I commented in awe. I had to get used to living a rather simple life in Lima, so the extravagance of my new home made me sort of feel like I was back in Agron.

Well, the modern design was far from the traditional design of the palace I grew up in, but they were similar in the aspect of classiness.

"Mm, I had time to fix it up a little since you chose to check out Ohio first," Marley chuckled out. "I still can't believe I'm in your presence, princess Quinn..."

"I told you to just call me _Quinn_." I cordially reminded her of what I said in the elevator earlier, Marley nodded, her blue eyes shining brightly because of the lighting overhead. "San, what do you think?"

"What are the security features?"

"You're currently standing in the safest apartment on the planet," Marley replied proudly. "If you want details- round the clock surveillance, titanium doors, heavily reinforced walls, fortified windows, state of the art locks, and the best panic room ever built. Oh and before I forget to mention it, the whole building is yours..."

"How much did all of this cost?"

"A lot in Earth currency, but we all know human money is nothing in the galactic market," Marley shrugged her shoulders before combing some hair away from her face. "Plus, it's for _your_ safety, so it's just right that we exhaust all available resources."

"Thanks, Marley, this is perfect..." I looked up and noted how high the ceilings were, ideal for flight training and exercises. I crossed the room and wrapped an arm around Santana's waist, she immediately tensed up, making me frown and loosen my hold.

"I'll _um_- I'll go get the stuff in the car, be right back, Quinn," Santana stammered out, refusing to meet my eyes. She left without saying anything else causing a wave of confusion to crash over me.

"Is something wrong?" Marley asked softly. I realized that my face probably made my uneasiness obvious, so I forced myself to smile and shake my head. "Okay, _anyway_, I wanted to let you know that I'm glad you're here and I can't wait for you to experience _my_ definition of Earth life..."

There was an edge in the way Marley spoke, the way words rolled off her tongue was simply intriguing. "Your definition?"

"You came from Ohio, Quinn... Believe me, you haven't seen anything yet," she winked at me and I flashed her back a sincere smile. "I can't wait to show you around."

"How long have you been on Earth?"

"About five years now, I'm actually starting to miss Mollxia..."

"Mollxia out in Andromeda?" Marley nodded and fascination filled my hazel eyes. "I've always wanted to visit the Andromeda galaxy."

"Maybe after the war ends, I can take you."

"Take her where?" Santana pipped in from the doorway.

"My home planet..."

"Oh, okay," my guardian said offhandedly before moving towards the stairs. "I'll go put these in your room..." She was gone before I could even reply, I sighed because Santana's strange behavior was making me feel a little anxious.

"Well, I better get going... I'll visit you two soon to make sure you're settling in fine," Marley rubbed the back of her neck before smiling at me once more. "It's an honor to finally meet the princess of Agron..."

"It was great meeting you too, Marley, thanks again."

* * *

I felt the blood drain from my face as soon as my fingertips grazed the cold, empty space beside me. I squinted, trying to focus on the red numbers displayed on the digital clock beside the bed- _2:42 AM_. I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, I haven't slept alone since the day I confessed my feelings for Santana... I got up and went downstairs, searching for my guardian. "There you are," I whispered out in relief, after opening the door to the training room.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" She asked from where she was sitting, she dropped the pen she was holding, crumpled up a piece of paper, and rolled her chair away from the desk before patting her lap. "Come here, you..." I closed the distance between us and sat on top of her, she wrapped both of her arms around my torso from behind and pulled me closer.

I felt her press her face onto the back of my shirt and breathe in deeply. "I woke up and you weren't there," I told her in a flat voice, hoping that it was enough to hide the anxiety I was still feeling. "Why are you even down here?"

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake you up..."

"What's wrong?" I twisted my body so I could look her in the eye, I cupped her cheek and lovingly rubbed my thumb over her skin.

"Nothing, it's probably just because I'm not used to that bed yet."

"Maybe we should _familiarize_ ourselves with it then," I replied suggestively, pressing my lips onto hers. She broke the kiss before I could deepen it though; I opened my mouth to say something but she beat me to it.

"We had long day, we should both get some rest..." I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion, she has never turned me down before, so the feeling of rejection was foreign to say the least. But before I could read too much into the situation, she kissed the frown off of my lips, and led me back into the bedroom, reassuringly encompassing me in her arms and warm sheets.

* * *

My training was quadrupled soon after our arrival... It may have been brutal but it paid off immensely. The accuracy of my beams significantly improved and I was a lot better at controlling myself while I was in flight. The progress helped a lot with my confidence, I was far from feeling 100% ready, but at least I felt more optimistic about the fulfilment of my destiny.

"Great job, Quinn," Santana complimented me before handing me a bottle of water and wiping my face with a small white towel. "That's it, I think we're good for today..."

I nodded before slumping down onto the nearby couch and finally catching my breath. "I need a shower."

"Yeah, you do," my guardian wrinkled her nose teasingly and I growled at her. She somehow managed to hoist me up in the air before I could even attempt to stop her, she carried me bridal style towards the stairs, and I locked my arms around her neck, smiling at her adoringly. "Let's get you cleaned up, princess..."

"Put me down, silly." She shook her head, no, and began blindly climbing up the stairs since my body was impairing her vision. "I have a better idea, hold on tight, okay?" I lifted the both of us up into the air until we reached the top of the steps, I smirked at her and she chuckled. "My way is quicker _and _safer..."

"Don't forget- _extraordinary_," Santana remarked and tugged me towards the bathroom, where she proceeded to rid me of my clothes as fast as she could. "I just love watching you train..." She nuzzled my still-sweaty neck and I felt my cheeks redden, I helped her out of her own clothing, so we could enter the shower and ease my insecurities.

I turned on the spray and the water cascaded down our bare bodies, coating our skin with its warmth. I grabbed the back of Santana's head and led her lips to mine, she then backed me up until I was resting against the wall, the colder temperature of the ceramic, making me momentarily shiver.

"You're so damn beautiful..." My guardian uttered in a breathless voice before roughly reattaching her lips to mine. I weaved a hand through her hair and pulled her in closer. Without a doubt, I was completely addicted to the way she made me feel.

_How every knowing touch of her fingers, every soft lash of her tongue, every breathtaking kiss from her lips left me longing for more... _

* * *

**_Marley Rose: _**_Ask your guardian if you two can come out & play tonight. ;)_

It was one of those rare situations where I didn't know how to approach Santana... I knew she wasn't the biggest Marley-fan because whenever the Mollxian would come over to the apartment, Santana would barely speak. Sometimes, she'd even stay in another room, and she'd only start acting normally once Marley was gone.

"San?" I called out from the living room, Santana came out of the training room holding one of her lasers, she placed it down on the coffee table and asked me what I needed. "Well, Marley texted and she's wondering if we want to go out with her tonight..." I nervously relayed the message, I didn't want Santana to say _'no'_ because I was undoubtedly curious about _Marley's version_ of human life.

"Do you want to go?"

"Yeah, I mean, we haven't really seen a lot of LA yet..."

"Then let's go," she shrugged before picking up her gun and turning around. I rolled my eyes because like always, Santana was just letting me have my way without telling me how she felt. I should've been used to it, but I wasn't... It still annoyed me whenever she acted like she didn't care, even if it was obvious that she did. But I wasn't going to call her out on it then, not when I really wanted the plans with Marley to push through.

* * *

Marley came over at around 10PM later that night... There was already a car and a chauffeur waiting downstairs by time we got out of the building. I liked the idea of Santana not having to drive because it meant that she could finally drink as much alcohol as she wanted to.

"Where are we going?" I asked excitedly once we were all in the rented vehicle.

"I was thinking of taking you to one of my favorite clubs, you know, show you the city scene..." Marley smirked before shifting her focus to Santana. "Oh and don't worry, the place we're going to is safe."

My guardian just gave her a slight nod in response, not even bothering to meet her gaze. I sighed before interlacing my fingers with Santana and holding her hand on my lap, I didn't want any form of confrontation to happen tonight, so I wanted to keep her calm. I knew Marley's eyes were on our joined hands, but I didn't mind, one creature shouldn't matter...

_I was planning to face the whole Agron kingdom with Santana by my side in the future anyway._

We arrived at the club and we were let in as soon as the bouncer saw Marley, we cut the ridiculously long line and entered the darkly tinted glass doors. "Welcome to the _real_ world, Quinn," Marley whispered into my ear before pulling me into a large, dark room, which had streaks of multicolored laser lights flying everywhere, blaring music that was loud enough to cause vibrations and an incredible amount of human beings. I looked at Santana and saw that she was staring at the wrist that Marley was still holding onto, so I discreetly shook of the Mollxian's grip before standing beside my guardian. "Let's get you two upstairs," Marley yelled over the music before leading us to a more exclusive area of the club. "So what do you think?"

"I've never seen anything like this before..." It was the truth, the only human parties I've been to were Lima house parties and those were nothing in comparison. _If it were only possible for Sam to be here... _I darted my eyes around the club, taking in everything in my range of vision while Santana sat down on the black leather couch that was reserved solely for us. I joined her when a waiter appeared with a tray of drinks, which he placed on the table, I quickly reached for one of the clear glasses and handed it to my guardian.

"No thanks..."

"Come on, you're not driving... Please drink one with me." Santana reluctantly gripped the alcoholic beverage while I stretched my arm to get another one for myself.

"How about we make a toast?" Marley chimed in, already holding her own drink. "To the princess of Agron's impending victory against the Mildans..." She clinked her glass with mine then Santana's before chugging down the electric blue liquid. I gave Santana pointed look before gulping down my drink. It was a lot stronger than I expected but it was tolerable. My guardian and I both placed down the empty glasses, I grinned at her happily before pressing my lips onto her cheek. "I'm just wondering, are you two together or something? I mean, it's kind of obvious, but I really just don't want to assume anything."

I glanced at Santana and she shrugged, mouthing out the words _'up to you'_. I faced Marley and smiled before vocally answering her question. "Well, your assumption is pretty accurate..."

Marley just nodded before changing the topic, I was a bit relieved that she didn't comment about our relationship, but I was also wondering what her opinion on the matter was. Nevertheless, I was glad that I told Marley- we were going to be around her for a while and it would've been difficult to keep Santana and I a secret.

_Come on, I could barely keep my hands off my guardian... _

We conversed and drank some more for a couple of hours, I got a little bit intoxicated but it was obvious that Santana and Marley both already anticipated it. Santana helped me out of the club and back into the car at around 1 in the morning, Marley then brought us back to the apartment. She said something to Santana but I couldn't understand what it was because my head was spinning and everything was blurry...

My guardian was actually the only reason why I was still on my feet. When Marley left, Santana guided me to our room, where she began to carefully strip off my clothes. "Are we going to..." I trailed off and gave her a dopey grin, she rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "Why not?" I abruptly sat up but immediately fell back down because of my inebriation.

"You're drunk, princess..."

"Am not." Santana put a large shirt over my head and slid it down to cover my body. "But I wanted to—"

"Get some sleep, Quinn," she shushed me with a quick kiss and I frowned, I wrapped my arms around her pulled her towards me.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Cause of Marley," I tried shrugging but my limbs were a lot heavier than usual, so it looked more like I was twitching. "I think you're jealous of her, San..." I told her knowingly before wiggling my eyebrows and sloppily kissing her cheek. "But that's stupid because I don't like her, I don't like anyone, _I only love you._" At that moment, my mouth was like a reverse black hole, rather than sucking everything in, I was unstoppably letting out everything that came into mind. "You know what? You're _my princess_, I'm tired of being the only princes... So you're _mine_, okay?" Santana just nodded amusedly before getting up from the bed to change her clothes. "Santana, you're mine, right?"

"Yes, princess, I'm all yours," she stated once she was lying beside me, she kissed me on the lips once before snuggling to my side. "Now, please get some sleep."

"Okay, I love you," I whispered out before yawning and finally allowing my eyes to droop close. The last thing I could remember was the feeling of my guardian's lips on my forehead.

* * *

Time seemingly went by quicker in our new surroundings, seasons changed and as the months elapsed, Santana and I lost the need to _constantly_ jump each other. The passion was still there but it was more subdued. My guardian also somehow learned to communicated with Marley more, trusting the Mollixan more and more as the days went by. Most of my hours was spent on training and preparing my body, but Marley made sure I was able to enjoy the_ fun-side_ of Earth life whenever I had the chance to.

_In spite of my contentment and relative happiness though, there were still numerous times when my insecurities would take control of me and leave me doubting everything. _

A fleece blanket was draped over my shoulders before Santana pressed a kiss to the side of my head. "Good morning, princess." I looked up and saw a sleepy-looking Santana, I flashed her a thankful smile before scooting over to one side of the recliner and patting the free space beside me. "We won't fit on that thing..."

"We will, come on," I pouted before stretching out my arms, she rolled her eyes playfully before relenting and squeezing into the tight area. I cover our bodies with the blanket she brought out and snuggled into her. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No," Santana shook her head and I raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "The lack of warmth did..." She said in a teasing tone and I softly swatted her arm, making her grin. "I'm just joking, why are you out here so early anyway?"

"I like the view..." I gazed at the panorama of high-rise buildings again, I was having a tough time sleeping, so I decided to wait for the sunrise out on the balcony. "I also had that nightmare again."

"The one with the Mildan king?" I nodded and she sighed before pecking my cheek. "We talked about this already, it's just a dream, Quinn... It won't happen, I promise."

"How are you so sure?" I pulled back a little and narrowed my eyes slightly. "Santana, we're running out of time and I only have two of my powers... I won't be ready by the time I turn twenty, it's impossible."

"You will be ready, stop it with the pessimism. Your training has been going very well and you've mastered using the powers you already possess. You will be more than ready and the Mildan king won't stand a chance."

"We have a bit over a year left, San... I don't understand why my other powers aren't manifesting themselves yet, it's going to be too late," I groaned before frustratedly rubbing my eyes. "If the gods that gave me these powers want me to be victorious, then why is everything so difficult?" I noticed that it was starting to get brighter, so I focused on the changing sky. "When I first found out I was the chosen one, I was so excited... I felt extremely special, I felt like I accomplished something big even if I didn't really do anything yet. Everyone was telling me that I was going to be a hero one day..." I bit my lower lip and swallowed back my tears. "No one told me it was going to be like _this_ though."

"Quinn, I know things are hard, but please quit doubting yourself..." She cupped my chin and made me look her in the eye. "You'll be fine,_ I promise_," she connected our lips and began kissing me gently, I grabbed the back of her head and drew her in closer, increasing the intensity.

I was about to sneak one of my hands under her shirt when the noise of a phone ringing floated through the sliding doors. "Leave it, it's probably just Marley," I clutched the hem of her shirt when she began to pull away, whining while crumpling the material in my hands. "Just don't mind it, it's too early anyway..." I brushed my nose against hers and licked my bottom lip. "And I want you."

Santana smiled at me before situating herself above my body. "It's unfair how beautiful you are... _I can never say no,_" she breathed into my ear before nuzzling my neck and kissing the skin coating my collarbone. "If you could only see yourself the way I see you... Then you wouldn't have this irrational fear of the future, you're perfect, Quinn, _tr__ust me._"

I permitted my eyes to close as Santana's words and touches soothed my never-ending anxiety. My breathing was starting to become shallow and my heart was speeding up, tale-tell signs that my body knew what was coming. "I _do_ trust you," I lifted her head up so we were eye-level with each other again. "I just have a problem trusting myself, I'm scared I'm going to fail." I whispered out. "Everyone is relying on me and I can't—" I averted my eyes to the side, unsuccessfully hiding my tears.

"Hey, look at me." She cupped my left cheek and used her thumb to trace the outline of my cheekbone. "We still have a year to work on your fears and insecurities, but you should know that _I_ believed in you since the day that the elders first told me about your existence."

"I really love you, San," I kissed her hard, I needed to feel her. "I don't think I would've made it this far if I were with anyone else..." I moved down to her neck and began peppering her skin with light kisses. I was about to take off her sleeping shirt when the phone began ringing once more, I groaned and Santana chuckled before getting off the reclining seat. "No, don't—"

"I'll just put the phone in silent mode, I'll be right back..." She pecked my lips and quickly entered the apartment, I sighed and absentmindedly started playing with the strands of hair covering my eyes. After five minutes of Santana's absence, I decided to head inside and find out what was taking her so long... I saw Santana standing in the kitchen, talking into the receiver of her phone. She mouthed out _'Marley' _when I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, we'll see you in a while."

"_What_?" I demanded as soon as I was sure Marley wasn't on the line anymore. "What happened to putting your phone into silent mode?" I frowned, knowing that I wasn't going to get what I wanted anymore.

"I read Marley's messages..." Santana used the heel of her palms to rub her temples. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just gonna tell you... A bounty hunter entered the Milky Way a few hours ago, which means we have to be on high alert. The Earth is only one planet out of millions in this galaxy though so we shouldn't freak out. I just need to talk to Marley as soon as possible so we can plan out your security- _it'll be fine_."

"Great..." I muttered sarcastically before clenching my jaw. "I just _needed_ something like this to happen."

"Princess—"

"I'm going to our room, I don't want to hear anything about this hunter, alright? It's just gonna mess my mind up even more." Santana opened her mouth but I spoke first. "Please?"

"Alright, sure, if that's what you want," Santana masked her emotions, effortlessly hiding the way she felt. "Call me if you need anything." I nodded before flying up to the second floor, I didn't want to deal with anymore problems.

_I couldn't deal with anymore problems... _

* * *

"Hey, you're finally awake," Marley said to me as soon as I made it downstairs, smiling at me in a way that didn't require her to show her teeth. I grinned in return, I truly enjoyed Marley's company... For some reason, I could easily relate to her. "Santana went out to fix a couple of things, she told me to wait here with you until she got back."

My eyebrows shot up when I heard that Santana left without telling me, but I was able to stop myself from releasing my raw thoughts. "Where did she go?"

"We discussed a lot of things a while ago and one of her decisions was to place your shuttle into a secure garage as a precaution, you know, to avoid damaging your mode of transportation back to Agron," she shrugged her shoulders before sitting down on the couch. "You just missed her actually, but don't worry I'm sure she won't take that long."

"Oh, alright..."

"Well, she did say something about checking out some sports cars," Marley added with a smirk as she placed her feet on the dark wooden coffee table in front of her. "Why don't you wait here with me? Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm okay," I shook my head and sat down beside her. "Marley, tell me the truth... Should I be worried?"

"The bounty hunter's name is Trize, he's from Panax and he's been in the game for about 10 human years now. All in all, he's made around 250 thousand Bizers, which means that catching you would easily make his career... He's notorious for his aim with a hand-laser but other than that, he's just another boneheaded bounty hunter, nothing Santana and I can't handle."

"I can't believe the Mildan king placed a price on my head..." I rested my elbows on my thighs and held my head in my hands. "How dare he?"

"I guess he's just trying to improve his chances even if it's pointless to do so... You're gonna succeed Quinn, I _know_ you will," she lightly squeezed my arm and smiled. "Anyway, you're incredibly brave, so I don't see any reason for you to be afraid of the bounty hunter or the Mildan king, not when you're fearless enough to break one of the cardinal rules of Agron..."

"What?"

"You obviously don't fear death for yourself or Santana... Am I right?"

I creased my forehead while processing her words. "Of course I do, I don't want either of us to die."

"I mean, you two are brave enough to pursue a forbidden relationship... The idea that you are willing to oppose tradition for love, tells me volumes about your fearlessness," she explained. "I may have only met you a few months ago, but I can see it in the way that you act around Santana, you're the type of person who won't allow anything to stand in the way of what you want and that in itself makes me confident about the outcome of your fight with the Mildan king."

"I love her, Marley... I love her even if it's wrong for a princess to give her heart to someone classified as _'ordinary'_." I grabbed one of the black throw pillows and hugged it tightly, stabilizing my body's weakening posture. "Sometimes, I fear the consequences Santana and I have to face more than my meeting with Mildan king... I know I have a chance to defeat him, but successfully defending my relationship with my guardian against my entire kingdom seems highly-impossible."

"And yet you still choose to be with her... I know it's not my place to give you advice, but if you already know you're fighting a losing battle, it's never a good idea to go on."

"I don't want to lose her though,_ I can't_."

"I know that, princess," Marley flashed me a soft smile before standing up and walking in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm starving, let's find something to eat?"

"Yeah, okay..." I called back, despite my lack of appetite, my mind was still dissecting my entire conversation with the blue-eyed Mollxian. It was strange, voicing out my darkest fears to someone other than Santana, but talking to Marley helped in a way that I can't accurately explain. The way she viewed my relationship with Santana helped me with predicting the general reaction of the Agron civilization.

And frankly, I felt terrified.

* * *

"It's nice," I beamed at my guardian and she winked at me before pressing a button on the small black remote, which served as the new car's keys.

"Yeah, nice choice, Lopez..." Marley added from behind me with a smirk on her lips. "Not exactly _unnoticeable_, but I understand the decision." We both proceeded to meticulously observe the sleek red vehicle. "Here's the stuff," she took out a small spray bottle from her back pocket and tossed it towards my guardian, who easily caught it.

"Are we seriously gonna do this _out here_?" She narrowed her eyes at Marley, making the Mollixan shrug one shoulder. "I don't understand why we don't have a garage."

"A garage would mean an extra entryway, which decreases the security level of the building..." Marley shot back with a sly grin, Santana just rolled her eyes before opening the passenger's side door. "Okay, both of you get in... Let's take this thing for a spin, so we can apply this gunk without attracting any unwanted attention." My guardian helped me into the front seat before jogging back to the driver's side, Marley sat in the back and we were off.

The car was fast, not as fast as our shuttle but it was good enough to get us around. I could see why Santana chose it, she was always a fan of the color red and the overall design of the car just screamed my guardian's personality. We reached a deserted area of the city, out by the abandoned warehouses. Santana parked and we all got out, she began shaking the bottle in her right hand.

"What is that?"

"It's '_Lesrouler'_, Mollxian liquid for instantly laser-proofing surfaces," Marley answered and I nodded in understanding. "It kind of glows while drying up so we couldn't do it in the middle of the road..."

"This is pretty cool stuff, princess," Santana removed the cap and sprayed the windshield of the car, coating the glass with a bright orange gleam. "You wanna try?" She extended the small container towards me and I began to shake my head. "Come on, just the front windows?"

"Okay, _fine_." It took some more convincing, but I ultimately agreed and moved closer to my guardian, she placed the Lesrouler in my hands and I pulled on the trigger causing liquid to sprinkle out of the small nozzle. Santana held my waist from behind, and I leant back a little so I would be in contact with her more. "This is so awesome..."

"Yup, Mollxian technology at its best," Marley commented smugly and I chuckled, Santana let me finish spraying the back windows and back glass, playfully messing with my aim a little to annoy me. "You guys are really adorable..." Marley remarked from where she was standing, a few feet away from us.

"Thanks but Quinn is the only adorable one..." We both stared at Santana, who surprised us both with what she just said. I attempted to briefly kiss her, relieved when she didn't pull away. "You really are though," she mumbled against my lips, making me smile into the kiss. For a few peaceful minutes, we just stood there, leaning against her car and enjoying the setting sun in the sky above.

"Uh, San... I hate to be a cockblock but I have this bad feeling that isn't a meteor," Marley pointed up where an unidentified flash of white was cutting through the changing-skies, Santana immediately dropped her arms and stood up straighter, squinting at the UFO. "Fuck, I don't have any weapons on me..."

"The car's trunk is still empty," my guardian said in a hushed voice, the nervousness in her eyes was evident. "Quinn, shoot the windshield, right now..." I tilted my head to the side, waiting for an explanation that never came. "Shoot it!" I complied right after, aiming at the new car and blasting it with my right hand, the glass seemingly absorbed the shot, making Santana nod in approval. "Get in the car and stay there."

"No, wait, I can—"

"Marley, get her in the car- _n__ow,_" Santana growled out and the Mollxian was able to force me back inside the vehicle even if I was trying to fight off her hold. Marley kept her grip on me, knowing I would try to escape if she didn't. I watched as an unfamiliar dark gray spacecraft landed in front of Santana, the strong winds emitted by its propellers were pushing around the loose debris in the location.

A bulky male figure got out of the cockpit, he had a tattoos all over his arms and a pink scar across his left cheek. His hair was short, with indistinguishable carvings in the sides of his head. "Well, well, what do we have here?" He uttered in a heavily accentuated version of one of the more common multi-galactic languages.

"What's up, Panax scum?" Santana replied, no semblance of fear in her voice.

"Nothing much, hon..." He smirked before moving his hand to the holster on his hip, where there was obviously a gun. "Rookie mistake, never use advanced technology in fucking primitive planets like Earth... You're just asking for danger when you do, I was an entire solar system away when I learned your whereabouts," he moved closer and shifted his eyes to the car. "Come out, princess... I won't hurt you, I just want to get you to ride my rocket ship. I mean, so I could get you out of this crummy little planet."

I shuddered because of the brutality I can sense in his voice. I tried pulling away from Marley again, but she just tightened her hold on me. "Marley, _please_, we need to go help her."

"Santana will seriously rip my head off if I let you go out there... I'm sorry but I really can't let you out of here."

"She's unarmed, please let me go help her," I was almost begging, my stomach was sinking and the idea that the bounty hunter could easily hurt Santana was killing me. I heard laughter and I focused on Trize again, he was now gripping the helve of the pistol, I then glanced at my guardian, who looked completely calm.

"How about you fuck off instead?"

"You have a really dirty mouth for someone who's defenseless..." Trize smirked again and finally took out his gun. "I don't really want to waste any ammo, so I'd prefer it if you just stand aside and let me get what I want."

Santana chuckled dryly. "Dream on, asshole." In a blink of an eye, she lunged forward and grasped the barrel of the pistol, I felt goosebumps forming all over my skin and my throat felt so dry. A shot was fired and I saw a yellow ray collide into my guardian's thigh, she crumbled to the ground and Marley finally let go of me. I was momentarily stunned by shock, the gravity of the situation penetrating my senses.

"Ow, fuck," Marley was staring at her hands, which were bright red and throbbing. "What the—"

Before she could even finish her statement, I reached for the handle and swiftly got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me. Trize looked at me, a smile gracing his thick lips. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life..." I breathed out, and without further warning, I shot him in the stomach with one of my hand beams causing him to kneel down in pain. There was a hole in his shirt and I could see that a large part of his abdomen was raw and wounded.

I felt no remorse whatsoever... A combined current of electricity then flowed through my fingers and coated the bounty hunter's tanned skin with bright blue static. His whole body shook and his skin was tinted with a violent crimson color before he collapsed face first; lying on the ground, convulsing in agony. I mercilessly forced out even more of the energy from my fingertips.

I slowly walked up to him and opened my palm, aiming right at his head. I didn't think twice before firing out a laser beam and taking his life, I was about to shoot him again when Marley gripped my wrist, signalling me that it was over.

I fell to my knees and began to check on Santana, tears were gushing out of my eyes and I was shaking uncontrollably. "San, please—"

"I told you to stay in the car..." She croaked out in my arms and I slapped her across the face. "Shit, that hurts," I crashed my lips onto hers, kissing her like it was our last kiss. Taking her bottom lip in between my teeth and driving my tongue straight into her mouth, we were both breathless when the lip lock ended. "I'm fine, he just shot me with a tranquilizer... He wanted to deliver you to the Mildans alive, which is why he wasn't using lethal weaponry," she sat up a little but she realized that her left leg was still totally numb and useless. "Marley, I told you to keep her in the car..."

"I tried, alright? But then Quinn decided to go _all stingray_ and electrocute me," the Mollixan gave me a pointed look and I stared at her pink hands. "I still can't feel my fingers, princess."

"New power?" Santana inquired and I nodded unsurely. "Mm, that's why that slap hurt," she mused and I glared at her. "Please don't be angry at me, I just wanted to keep you safe."

"And how do you plan on doing that if you die?" I challenged causing my guardian's shoulders to fall. "We're a team, San... You have to let me protect you too."

"I don't think that's how this thing works..." She replied and I started crying some more. "First and foremost, I'm your guardian, Quinn, you shouldn't have to worry about me." She brushed away my tears and I swallowed thickly. "I'm not the one we need to keep safe."

"Well, _I need you_, okay? Which means you always have to consider your own safety cause I can't do this without you, Santana," I buried my face into her hair, I could feel her heartbeat through her clothes and it just served as a reminder that I came close to losing her a while ago. "I hate you so much..."

"I'm sorry," she murmured softly while running her thumb across my lip. "I swear I'll be with you until the end of all of this, I won't leave you."

"You better not..." I seriously couldn't stop crying; the whole situation was an alarming wakeup call... The Mildans meant business and things were only going to become more treacherous for all of us.

* * *

"Marley, I really think you should let her punch you..." Santana teased from where she was lounging in the living room; her leg was propped up and an icepack was being applied to the injured limb. "Let's see if it really hurts."

"Believe me, I already know it does," Marley shivered and I chuckled sheepishly before striking the punching bag again, leaving another burn mark on the synthetic material.

"Come on, Quinn can't punch, just take a look at her form..." I narrowed my eyes at Santana. We all knew she was just lightheartedly trying to lure Marley into getting hurt though. "How about you let her _poke_ you then?"

In response, Marley's lips curled into a smirk. "I'd worry about myself if I were you, this new power of hers seems like it's going to cause conflict in your sex life..." Santana's mouth and my mouth fell simultaneously at the realization. "Well, I'm going to go now, and let you two figure this all out... _G'n__ight_."

We all said our goodbyes and Marley left, abandoning Santana and I in an awkward state.

"Sit with me?" Santana requested and I removed my sparring wraps before curling up to her side and kissing her cheek. "I made a huge mistake today, I shouldn't have been so rash with the whole Trize-thing," she interlaced our fingers and began repeatedly pressing her lips onto the back of my hand. "I'm sorry for scaring you again, princess..."

"It's okay, I get it... You were just trying to make sure that I wouldn't get hurt but, San, you have to remember that you're mortal too," I told her gently, trying to avoid riling her up and causing discord between us. "You _have to_ remember that because I can't lose you... I love you so, _so much_."

"I'm so sorry for scaring you."

I broke away from her and gazed at her in silence, I knew I was supposed to be used to it, but the fact that she still wouldn't _tell me_ that she loved me still hurt... "Why can't you say it?" Her lips parted in response but nothing came out, I looked away, knowing that I would fall apart if I continued to stare at her. "Never mind, it's fine... You don't have to say it if you don't feel—"

She made me face her again even if I was being stubborn. "_I do_, alright?" Something sparked within me as soon as she said those words even if they weren't exactly the three words I wanted to hear. "I feel the same way... I just- I can't say it because for me that statement is a promise of forever, and since I can't predict what will happen to us once we get back to Agron, I don't want to say it to you yet... Not yet. Not while I'm unsure if I can commit to the bond that sentiment holds."

"I want to be with you even after all of this."

"So do I," she tautened her grasp on my hand and I squeezed back. "And I dream of the day when I can tell you everything you want to hear and more..." A light kiss landed on my lips and I didn't know if I was supposed to start smiling or crying, my system was in chaos and I didn't know what Santana was making me feel anymore. "I just can't right now, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm willing to wait..."

_"And I'm willing to fight." _


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **The_ last one_ before the new chapters...

* * *

**C5**

_Ten more months... _

The horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach during the months that preceded the Mildan invasion of Agron was back with a vengeance... Every passing day felt like a step closer to an inevitable tragedy. I knew we were doing everything that we could to prepare my body and mind for the great battle but I still felt so incompetent, _so weak_.

I may have mastered the three powers that I already possessed, but the Mildan king had an army so vast, any rational being would fear it... Marley has contacted her planet's monarch and he has agreed to supply me with a small group of Mollxian warriors that were willing to give their lives up for the freedom of Agron.

_Twenty warriors under my command, twenty warriors that were my responsibility._

To be honest, the idea of any of them getting hurt already twisted my insides up, so the fear of_ failing altogether_ was slowly driving me insane... If I didn't succeed, the entire Agron civilization would be oppressed by a Mildan rule _forever_.

I was their only hope for liberation, I was the chosen one.

Santana was trying really hard to rid me of my pessimism but nothing was working. No amount of reassurance from my guardian was capable of quelling my growing anxiety. I knew that my actions and insecurities were straining _our relationship_, but I just couldn't put an end to all the self doubt.

I didn't feel ready.

_I wasn't ready... _

* * *

_"We, the royal council of Agron, find the defendant, Santana Lopez, to be guilty of the multiple charges of high treason... She is hereby sentenced to perpetual banishment and is no longer considered as a citizen of Agron."_

_I stared at my lap, refusing to raise my head and meet Santana's gaze. The crowds began to cheer as the royal guard escorted my ex-guardian out of the courtroom. I finally mustered up enough courage to look at the scene and my heart tightened painfully within my chest._

_Santana was leaving the room with her head held high while I was being a complete coward... _

_I stood up abruptly, I wanted to climb down the high platform and run after her, but someone placed a hand on my shoulder. "Please sit down, my Queen... We wouldn't want another riot to break out, do we?"_

_"N-no," I choked out, reluctantly nodding my head in acquiescence. Scorching-hot tears welled up in my eyes as I distraughtly followed Santana's departure from afar, I could feel my heart tearing itself apart but I couldn't do anything._

_I was the queen of Agron._

I shot up from the bed, flitting my eyes around the familiar Earth room. I let out a deep sigh of relief when I realized that it was all just a vivid nightmare. I felt weight on my shoulder and I recoiled from the touch, remembering the stranger in my horrible dream. "Quinn?" My heart was beating so fast, I felt like I was going to faint. "Baby, what's wrong?"

I closed my eyes allowing the sweet term of endearment from my guardian to take its effect. "Bad dream, I'm fine though..." I replied shakily and Santana got out of the bed. "Where—"

"I'm just getting you a new shirt..." Her side of the bed dipped when she rejoined me seconds later, she carefully tugged the sweat-soaked top off my torso and replaced it with the dry material in her hands. "Mildan king?"

I wanted to tell her the truth... I wanted to say that it wasn't the Mildan king this time around, but I didn't want to scare her too, it was pointless to do so. It was just some stupid nightmare anyway, _it meant nothing_... "Yeah," I lied, settling back down into the mattress. "Don't worry, it's nothing, I'm okay."

"You sure?" Santana settled back down onto the sheets and pulled me closer to her, pressing kisses all over the side of my face. I nodded, giggling a little because of the tickling sensation that she was causing. "I wish I could be there for you when you're dreaming, I'd protect you from everything."

I held my tongue to stop myself from revealing what my brain wanted to say. I just snuggled closer to her, hoping the sound of her rhythmic heartbeat would serve as some sort of lullaby and escort me back to sleep.

* * *

"You know the drill, one _mo_—" I wiped away the sweat on my forehead using my forearm and wordlessly flew upstairs. I was so, _so_ sick of training..._ No more. _"Quinn! Come back here," Santana called out from the first floor and I played deaf, kicking off my shoes and going under our bed's sheets. "What's wrong with you?" She asked from the doorway once she made it upstairs and I groaned, vexed.

"Just go away first, _please_..." I tightened my hold on the comforter and closed my eyes, taking in deep, calming breaths.

"Quinn..." I felt the bed shift slightly before Santana placed a hand on my lower back. "What's going on?"

"I'm just tired..." I sat up, compelling her to retract the touch. I glared at her direction and she put on a look of confusion. "Am I not allowed to get tired? We've been doing the same routine for months, I think I've _earned_ the right to be exhausted."

"Princess, of course you can feel tired," Santana said in a much softer tone and I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry for pushing you so hard today, I shouldn't have—"

I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my palms. "That's not it! You don't get it..."

"Then explain it to me," she pressed and I felt frustration building up within me. "Look, I understand that you're worn out, but our time to prepare is limited and—"

"I know that, okay? I'm well aware of how much time we have left, you don't have to remind me," I snapped and my guardian's shoulders visibly fell. "No, Santana, you _don't _understand... You're not the one who has to deal with all of the pressure, you're not the one with Agron's fate on her shoulders." I knew I should've zipped my mouth already, but the blockade to my innermost fears was broken and I couldn't stop. "It's all up to me!"

"Quinn, we've talked about this so many times... You have nothing to be afraid of, your victory is already preordained."

"It's easy for you to say _that_ because you're not the one who has to deal with the guilt and shame if ever the Mildan king wins at the end of all of this!" I sprung out of the bed, I was about to leave the room when Santana gripped my wrist, halting my movements. "I need to be alone right now."

"_Baby_, I know you're worried but please don't push me away,_ let me help you_," she tugged me towards her and wrapped her arms around me from behind, lightly kissing the side of my neck. "We're already dealing with so much, we shouldn't fight with each other."

"I'm not fighting with you," I gritted through my teeth, still feeling incandescent anger burning inside me despite Santana's attempts to calm me down. "I just need to be alone..." I shrugged her off and pinched the bride of my nose, unsuccessfully pacifying my rage.

"You're acting like we're still in McKinley, princess. I thought we were past all of this..." She said in a tone that I perceived as condescending. "You can't just shut me out whenever it's convenient for you."

"Well, then I'm _ordering _you to leave me alone right now," I responded venomously, stomping down the stairs. "You and Marley are so blasé when it comes to everything, you two think the future is set in stone but it's not! This entire galaxy is swarming with bounty hunters, was _that _written in the elders' prophecy?" I challenged. "I don't understand why I'm the only one who seems stressed when it's obvious we're all in over our heads."

"You know that's not true, we're also—"

"You're also _what_?" I demanded, quirking an eyebrow. "I hope you didn't forget that I'm the one who's supposed to save our people, I'm the one who's supposed to be queen and you're—"

"Nothing?" Santana interrupted and my face fell, I began to shake my head but she looked away. "Don't worry I didn't forget my place, princess..."

"Santana, that's now what I meant! _You aren't nothing_," I argued as I clenched my fists in exasperation. "I'm just so fed up with all my thoughts- there's too much going on in my head... One minute, I'm thinking about the Mildan king and the next, I'm thinking about how Agron will react to _us_... I just really need a break."

"A break from _what_ exactly?"

"Everything!" I shouted back before sitting down on one of the lounge chairs in our living room.

"Including me?" She asked in a voice that I couldn't read and I hesitantly nodded.

"I love you but I need to get my head together," I clenched my eyes shut and leaned back further into the seat. "I don't want to fight, San... I hate it when we fight."

At that moment, the front door swung open, revealing a grinning Marley. "Look what I have, cupcakes from—" She darted her eyes between Santana and I before slanting her lips and lowering the plastic bag that she was holding. "Is this a bad time?"

"No your timing is perfect," Santana answered for the both of us before silently climbing up the stairs. She reappeared a while later, all dressed with her car keys in her left hand. "Marley, watch over Quinn... But don't bother her, alright? She's wants a break."

Before I could even ask where my guardian was going, the door slammed shut and she was gone. "What was all that about?" Marley inquired confusedly and I shrugged my shoulders, exhaling through my nose. "Did you guys breakup?"

"No!" I replied almost instantly. "She meant I needed a break, like, I needed to relax... Things between us just escalated a little a while ago but we're _fine_..." I hated the way it sounded, as if I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince Marley.

"Okay, that's good, I'm sure Santana will be back soon... She's just giving you some time to cool off." Marley sat on the couch across me and smiled reassuringly. "All couples fight, Quinn... It's normal, don't worry about it too much."

"Ugh," I covered my face with both of my palms. Santana has only been gone for less than five minutes and I already felt like crying. "But Santana and I _never _fight, I was being an idiot... I just blew up on her for no reason- _I don't know what's wrong with me_." Tears began to form in my eyes and impair my vision, I tried to blink them away but they just ended up rolling down both of my cheeks.

"Princess, don't cry... I'm sure Santana understands even if you don't understand your own actions," Marley sent me a sympathetic look and it made me want to duck my head in shame. "She knows you better than anyone, I'm sure you two will be okay in a couple of hours."

I knew Marley was trying her best to make me feel better, but it was backfiring- _badly_. I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and groaned loudly when I heard Santana's ringtone buzzing in the room, she didn't have her phone on her. "I'm an idiot..." I threw the gadget back onto the wooden surface, gnawing on my inner cheek. "This is all my fault."

"She'll be home before you know it," Marley responded matter-of-factly and I doubtfully averted my eyes away from the Mollxian. "I have an idea... Did you guys christen that drink cabinet yet?"

"Drink cabinet?" I creased my brow and Marley stood up, walking towards the pantry. She came back wielding two bottles of alcohol. I stared at the glass containers, wondering if it would be a good idea to drink in my current state... "We have drinks?"

"I told you, this apartment has _everything_... Nothing but the best for the princess of Agron," she winked at me before preparing glasses, ice cubes and mixers. "I can't believe you two didn't touch that thing yet," she chuckled, expertly pouring various fluids into two glasses.

I crossed the open-space living room, entering the kitchen and sitting down on one of the stools. Marley placed one of the glasses in front of me and the heady scent of vodka fills my nostrils._ It's one drink, I'll be fine..._ I brought the liquid to my lips and knocked it back, instantly feeling the strange burn of alcohol in my throat. I licked my lips afterwards, relishing in the momentary distraction that the intoxicant provided. "One more please."

Marley smirked before mixing me another one.

* * *

"I miss Santana," I frowned, reaching for the almost empty bottle on the floor. Marley snatched it away before I could grasp it though, she then began to shake her head, no, and I clenched my jaw. "Give that back!"

"Princess, you had too much... We both had too much," Marley hiccuped, blinking her eyes a couple of times. "This place is a mess, we should really clean up before Santana gets back."

"Santana!" I wailed as soon as I heard my guardian's name. "What if she never comes back?"

"Quinn, I told you already... _That's impossible_," Marley stood up unsteadily, picking up a number of the bottles. I tried looking at her but my vision was so hazy that her continuos movements were making me dizzy.

"Of course it's possible!" I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest and absentmindedly rubbing my elbows. "She's perfect and I don't deserve her... You know she gave up everything for me? I mean, _sure_, she became my guardian for Agron, but she was only eight years old when they told her! She was just a kid, she wasn't even able to enjoy her childhood- _it's unfair_."

"She _wanted_ to be your guardian... It wasn't some punishment in her eyes," Marley smiled at me reassuringly before heading over to the kitchen to dispose of the bottles in her arms. "You deserve Santana and she deserves you, I know I seemed skeptical about your relationship in the past, but it's hard not to believe in the two of you when I can literally feel the love radiating off the both of you whenever I'm in the same room..."

"_I love her so much_, and I just want her to come home already so I can tell her again and again." I sniffled and brushed away my hair from my face. "I wish things were easier, but they're so _damn_ complicated... Am I really willing to tear my kingdom apart for love? Am I allowed to be _that selfish_? Agron will still be recovering from the Mildan-debacle and it seems so inconsiderate for me to shove my taboo relationship down the citizen's throats."

"If anyone can make it through tackling century-old traditions and beliefs, it's going to be you two..." Marley was almost finished cleaning up and I flashed her a tightlipped smile. "Santana's a fighter and so are you, a few scrolls of rules shouldn't even be considered a threat. _Even if she is right about_..." The Mollxian trailed off and I bunched my eyebrows in confusion but chose to focus on her penultimate statement, chuckling for the first time since the day started.

"You mean the almighty state laws of Agron?"

"Yeah, _those scrolls_," Marley winked at me and I began to laugh louder. "You'll manage, trust me... Now, I suggest you go upstairs to get cleaned up, so when Santana gets here she won't wonder why you smell like an alcoholic bum."

"You better watch your tongue, Mollxian," I said playfully, smirking at the brunette.

"I mean a _royal_ alcoholic bum," she grinned cheekily and I shook my head in amusement. "Can you make it upstairs by yourself? I still have to deal with the glasses."

"_I'm fine_," I waved my hand cockily before forcing myself to float. I began to swerve uncontrollably because of my inebriated state; _I should've just used the stairs_. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for impact with the hardwood flooring of the loft. It never came though because Marley somehow caught me.

She fell backwards while I safely landed on top of her, our bodies pressed against each one another's.

"Are you okay?"

"Sorry!" I laughed, rolling my eyes at my clumsiness. "I should've just used the stairs, I'm—"

Someone cleared their throat and I snapped my head up, scrambling off Marley as fast as I could. I gaped at Santana, who was standing by the doorway with a resentful expression across her features. "San, you're back! Where'd you—"

"Marley, I'd never hurt Quinn physically, but you're a different case entirely," Santana stated in a darkly cold tone, making me gulp. "So I suggest you leave while you still have the chance."

Marley got up to her feet, straightening out her crumpled clothes. She cautiously walked over to my guardian, taking small calculated steps. "Santana, that wasn't what it looked like... We drank a little and Quinn—" In a flash, Marley was roughly pinned onto a wall by her shoulders. "Santana, listen to me—"

"_Leave_," my guardian uttered, her whole body trembling in perceptible rage.

I hastily stood up but maintained my distance to avoid adding fuel to the fire. Marley opened her mouth again, so Santana fisted the material of her shirt and pulled Marley towards her before aggressively slamming the Mollxian to the wall. I watched as Marley winced in pain, feeling an almost unbearable blend of guilt and fear in my stomach.

"Santana, _please stop_! She's right, it wasn't what it looked like... Just let me explain, we—"

"If you don't want to leave, _then I will_," Santana broke away from Marley but the paler girl grabbed her forearm before she could get too far. "Are you _trying_ to get yourself _ki_—"

"_Don't_, I'll go," Marley uttered in a faltering voice. "But Santana, I really hope you don't let that temper of yours force you into doing something that you'll regret... _You're better than that_," she mumbled cryptically right before she exited the apartment.

I silently kept my gaze on Santana, mentally figuring out how I was going to handle the situation. "San, hear me out first... What you saw was—"

"Worth more than any amount of words," she interjected, her eyes taking in the array of glasses that were still littered on the floor. "When you said you wanted a break this afternoon, you should've been clearer."

"What?"

"You told me a while ago you're tired of thinking about how the people of Agron will react to us... Congratulations, princess, that's one thing you don't have to worry about anymore."

"Santana, please just listen first," I begged, tears filling my eyes for the nth time today. "You don't understand—"

"I never do, right?" She scoffed before she started to walk away. I ran to her, clutching whatever part of her that I could. "Like always, I'm going to give you what you want."

"Huh?"

"You asked me to leave you alone, _fine then_," she tried to free herself from my hold but I just tightened my grip, refusing to let go. My mind was in total disarray and I couldn't come up with the right things to say... She forcefully jerked away from me and my eyes widened at the unexpected gesture.

"Santana, wait, please—" She didn't even look back, she entered the training room and the sound of the lock clicking into place felt like a slap to my face.

I crumbled to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest as a futile attempt to keep myself together.

* * *

"Nothing happened..." I croaked out, my throat still hoarse from the hours I spent crying the night before. Santana played deaf, eating her breakfast as if I didn't just join her in the table. "San... I swear, _nothing happened_," I repeated desperately, my tone and eyes willing her to believe me, but she wouldn't even spare me a scanty glance. "Santana, please look at me..."

The blood in my veins made the words leaving my lips taste like acid- _t__he princess of Agron shouldn't beg..._

My eyes began to involuntarily water when Santana kept her gaze firmly trained on her food, blatantly ignoring my pleas. I felt the gnawing frustration start its familiar crawl up my spine, spreading across my skin and kindling my all-time favorite defense mechanism, _anger_.

"It's just Marley for Agron's sake! We weren't doing anything wrong, and for you to think that we were is offensive to say the least," I forced out through gritted teeth, keeping my voice stern. "You don't know what happened and you won't even bother letting me explain... It isn't fair and I hope you know that your actions last night were uncalled for," I finished coolly, referring to the way she violently reacted towards Marley.

"You done?" She asked after a while, unceremoniously pushing her chair away from the dining table and gripping the edge of her used plate. "I mean, am I dismissed, _princess_?"

I gaped back at her, scrutinizing her stoic face and ultimately dropping both of my shoulders in defeat. "Free to go," I mumbled back reluctantly and she swiftly stood up to silently wash her dishes and leave the dining area without another word.

Santana's restrained attitude reminded me of what kind of person she was when we first met- _closed off and cold_. The way her eyes refused to meet mine was incredibly painful because just yesterday morning, we were exchanging sincere sentiments of love and staring at each other as if we couldn't get enough of the view. I knew I was to blame for the whole mess; it was my own stupid insecurities that triggered this entire disaster.

_What was I thinking?_

* * *

"One more set, princess," I tried my best not to cringe after hearing the eight-letter-word fall so effortlessly from my guardian's mouth- _again_. She hasn't referred to me as 'Quinn' or 'baby' or anything more intimate than my legal Agron title/position since the fight started. I felt horrible but every time I attempted to apologize to her, she quickly shot me down or acted as if I was speaking an entirely different language. I ran out of ideas on how to repair our relationship and I was frankly terrified because just the thought of things permanently changing between Santana and I caused my insides to knot up.

That couldn't happen..._ No._

I steeled my features and began lifting my weight off the ground to complete the remaining sit-ups. The professionalism of all of our recent encounters was basically killing me inside, the way it seemed like she was seeing _through_ me rather than actually seeing me shot hypothetical tesla-rays at my heart. She has been sleeping in the guest room for the past five nights, which also meant I haven't been getting enough rest.

Tossing and turning, repeatedly wishing that Santana would climb up the stairs, wrap her arms around me and tell me that we were going to be fine.

I was living a real-life nightmare and I needed it to end already... I finished the set and dropped all of my weight onto the padded mat underneath me, I was panting a bit but it was acceptable since we've been working out for over two hours. I licked at my dry lips and blindly reached for my nearby water bottle. The feeling of my fingertips coming in contact with warm skin caused me to whip my head to the side and directly stare at Santana's equally-startled face. "Sorry."

"Sorry."

The blood rushed up to my cheeks and I sunk my teeth into my lower lip to hold back the _'aww' _that wanted to leap out of my throat. For someone undeniably self-confident, Santana had a lot of endearingly shy moments that made me want to grab her and kiss her for hours. "Santana, I—"

"You should call Marley," she unscrewed the cap of the bottle before standing up straight and putting distance between our bodies. I kept my gaze on her while rehydrating myself, pathetically wishing the problem would magically solve itself because I wasn't sure if I could take this kind of treatment any longer. "I'm sure she's wondering what's going on..."

"Santana, you and I still need to talk..."

"There's nothing left for us to talk about," she shrugged a shoulder, throwing the damaged dummy-targets into a large black garbage bag. "Marley sent me a message last night, saying that she was going to keep her distance until I'm comfortable enough to have her around again..." She informed me, tying up the ends of the disposal bag to seal it. "I see no reason for her to stay away _from_ _you_ though so like I said earlier, I think you should call her."

I drew my eyebrows together in confusion, pulling myself up into a sitting position. "What do you mean there's nothing left for us to talk about?" I titled my head towards my left shoulder, locking my stare onto my guardian. "Of course we still need to talk... Santana, I can't live like this... _W__e_- I- this isn't right and you know it," I struggled out, hoping Santana would finally concede and _actually listen_ to me for the first time since the incident.

"Permission to speak freely?" The short question felt like another hard slap to my face. We've come such a long way from formalities, she has seen me naked for Agron's sake... I nodded in reply though, feeling an inexplicable formula of curiosity and fear rushing through my bloodstream. "I don't think it would be a good idea for us to _be_ _together_ right now, I mean, you're already dealing with a lot and it just makes sense that we set aside our relationship first, so we can both focus on our duties... In a few months time, we're going to head back to Agron and we need to be in the best condition ever- physically, mentally and _emotionally_."

"What? No."

"Princess—"

"Stop calling me that!" I yelled back furiously, standing up and stepping out of the mat. "How can you make that kind of decision without even talking to me first?" I questioned, tears already impairing my vision. "I'm sorry for what happened, Santana, I'm so fucking sorry, and I don't know what you need to hear from me so you'll actually believe it but I'm willing to say _anything_."

"Princess—"

"I said stop!" I rubbed at my eyelids, feeling weaker with every passing second. "Yes, I was an idiot and I got drunk with Marley, but nothing happened, you_ know_ nothing happened- please don't do this."

"Nothing happened? Maybe you didn't cheat but coming home and seeing you in that state after ordering me to leave you alone isn't '_nothing'_ to me..." My anger dissipated as soon as her words reached my ears, replaced by the familiar presence of fiery guilt. "You're obviously having a tough time coping with everything, and I honestly think it'd be a good idea if you and I take a break first, that way you wouldn't have to speculate about _your_ kingdom's reaction to _us _anymore. It doesn't solve all of your problems, but it does solve something..."

"No, it doesn't," I counter, shaking my head adamantly. "Do you hear yourself right now? San, this is insane, it's just a stupid fight, we don't need a break... I'm sorry for messing things up even more but you _can't_ do this, it won't solve anything."

"It will," she replied in a stubborn and assured tone, turning away from me. "Do you remember the Panax bounty hunter?" I replied with a soft and intrigued _'yeah'_. "And how you disobeyed my orders by rushing out the car to help me?"

"Yeah, but he shot you and—"

"My life is not worth risking your own," she interrupted, shifting her eyes to mine, giving me a clear view of the frighteningly sombre look on her face. She obviously took the time to think about what she wanted to say before the conversation began. "We've both been blinded by selfishness and I honestly believe that I'm a traitor for Agron for allowing things to get this far..."

"Santana, stop, _please_."

"We need to value the greater good of Agron, princess... Thus, we have to be sensible and put an end to _whatever it is that we have_ before it impedes on their well-being."

"You can't even say it," I sunk my teeth into my lower lip, my body weakly quivering in place. "_Love_, Santana, that's what this is... We've always known it wasn't going to be easy, so why are you doing all of this now?" I questioned; my tears freely cascading down my burning cheeks. "You said you were willing fight for us!"

"I know what I said and believe me, I meant it, but right now we have to prioritize fighting for Agron," she shot back assertively, folding her arms across her chest. "You can't go into war thinking about anything other than defeating the Mildan king, _that's_ your destiny and this illegal affair between the two of us has to stop distracting you from your main duty as the chosen one."

"But it's n-not distracting me!" I retorted brokenly. "You're going to wreck me if you do this, Santana... I'm not strong enough."

"You are," Santana said decisively, taking cautious steps closer. "You're strong enough to go through this and you're strong enough to face everything that you will encounter, I promise you," she took my limp hands in her own and lovingly brushed her thumbs over my skin. "Though it absolutely kills me to cause you any form of pain, I know this is the right thing to do, you and I need to go to war with clear minds and—"

"Broken hearts?" I chuckled out bitterly, yanking my hands away from her. "You promised me..."

"I promised that I will always protect you and that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Where did all of this even come from? Santana, what happened with Marley—"

"Is irrelevant," she combed her hair back using her left hand while sighing heavily. "This is bigger than you getting drunk with Marley... For months, we've been dealing with our own anxieties regarding the future of our relationship when we should've been solely concentrating on our primary mission," she sighed before breathing in deeply. "I've even been distracted by things that shouldn't be crossing my mind..."

The whole conversation felt like a hypothetical game of tug-of-war that I was desperately losing, my grasp on whatever it was that was keeping Santana and I together was slipping and there wasn't anything I could do about it. The resoluteness and determination of her voice made my skin crawl; it made me feel pathetic and helpless in comparison. "So what are you saying- we're just going to act as if we haven't been _happily_ breaking the law ever since that night I first told you about my feelings? You'll become just my guardian and I'll be nothing more than the princess of Agron again?"

"Right now, that's how it's supposed to be..." She shrugged her shoulders stonily and I felt an indescribably cold sensation pierce through my very bones and numb all of my senses. Something inside my chest snapped and it was as if trivial words were able to crack my heart into tiny little shards. "The fulfilment of the prophecy should have always been our prime concern and starting now, it will be our only concern until you defeat the Mildan king."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I asked dejectedly; my throat hurt, my nose was clogged and I kept indiscreetly pinching my forearm, praying to the gods that this was all just an incredibly graphic and horrifying nightmare. "Your lack of emotion tells me that you've rehearsed this... How long have you felt this way?"

"Princess—"

I groaned as a biting, frosty pain pummels straight to my skull; a feeling comparable to what humans felt when they drank cold liquid too quickly. I clutched my temples and bit my inner cheek, wondering if this was somehow my body's normal reaction to the fact that my life was collapsing in on itself. I spun around, intending to rush up to my room, but Santana stopped me by grabbing the end of my shirt. "Let go," I forced out through chattering teeth.

"No," she pulled me backwards and my eyelids snapped shut when I felt her front press against my back. "I need you to understand that this is the best thing for us right now and—"

"I said let go of me, Santana!" I used whatever strength I had left to free myself from her hold, stumbling towards the staircase. My breathing was scarily shallow and the sweat trickling down my neck was ice-cold. I gripped the railing with both hands and leant forward, trying my best to make sense out of what was happening.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" Santana asked worriedly; the volume of her voice increasing with every step that she took in my direction. I shook my head and began my ascent, deciding flying was the safer option but again Santana held me back; this time by gripping my wrist lightly. "You're freezing..." I turned my neck and locked eyes with hers and she raised an eyebrow. "Your eyes—"

Before she could finish her sentence she was reflexively tumbling backwards, her spine and head crashing onto the floor underneath as a hard turquoise ray of light shot out of my eyes. The unfamiliar beam hit a portion of the wall at the far side of the room and coated it with what seemed like a layer of fine powdery snow. We both gawked at the mess, watching attentively as smoke-like fog started hovering over the floor near the aforementioned wall.

"Call Marley and please tell her to come over," I requested distractedly, ignoring my guardian's questioning gaze. My mind was reeling because of everything that happened in such a short span of time... Santana opened her mouth, but I raised one hand and began climbing up the stairs again, I couldn't talk to my guardian about my new power; not when my heart was still masochistically replaying the torturous words that she uttered minutes earlier.

* * *

"Quinn, please stop crying..." I shook my head and clutched the pillow even tighter, burying my face into the soft cotton case and soaking it with more of my tears. "You know, I've been in here for the past hour and the only words you've said to me are _'it hurts'_... Talk to me, what's wrong? And why is there a frozen wall in your living room?" Marley moved closer and I felt the bed move as she got comfortable.

"'Cause it's true, it hurts so damn much..." I dropped the pillow and finally looked at Marley through my narrow and puffy eyes; the back of my head was throbbing in pain and it was basically impossible for me to breathe through my nose. "Everything hurts, Marley, and I just want it to all s-stop."

"Is Santana still not talking to you?"

"No, we're talking- I mean, we talked a while ago," I sucked in a sharp breath. "But she said she doesn't want to be with me anymore..."

"What?" She scrunched up her eyebrows in disbelief. "Santana said she doesn't want to be with you anymore?" I nodded weakly, making Marley shake her head in clear doubt. "No offense, but I find that incredibly hard to believe, she wants to end things over what happened last week? Look, I'll talk to her, Quinn... I'll try my best to convince her that nothing happened, I'll even swear on—"

"That's not the reason she ended things between us," I interrupted, followed by a weighty sigh. "Santana said we couldn't go into the great war with any distractions, and I guess she decided that our relationship is nothing more than a distraction..." I wrapped my arms around myself, trying in vain to rid my body of the feeling of being ripped apart. "I just don't understand-_ why now_? She's always been the one reassuring me that it will all be okay, so it feels like I've been blindsided by this entire thing... It's not fair, her mind was already made up when she told me, I couldn't do anything about it."

"Santana will have even more reason to kill me after I tell you this, but you need to know that this wasn't something spontaneous..." I raised an eyebrow, urging the Mollxian to continue. "First of all, she loves you... Secondly, she's not an idiot, and I hope you don't take this against me, but I've been reassuring her in the same way that I have been with you- albeit less frequently."

"What?"

"She's still mortal, it doesn't matter how brave and strong she is... She gets scared too and sometimes, when she lets her guard down, she talks to me and all I'm saying is that I hope you don't think she's doing this just to hurt you." I narrowed my eyes at the brunette, processing what she said. The only thing I could feel was confusion laced with a small amount of jealousy, over the idea that Santana would open up about her anxieties to someone else when she acted so sanguine with me all of the time.

"What do you mean?"

"This is her twisted-Lopez-way of shouldering both of your problems, and dealing with her own apprehensions and fears... Trust me, she's going through things too, Quinn."

I tried my best to mentally replay all of the conversations I had with my guardian pertaining to the future; most of them focused on Santana telling me that I was more than capable of taking on the Mildan king and freeing our people. We rarely conversed about what would happen after the war was over, I figured it was because we both wanted to concentrate on the present, but looking back, I realized Santana probably disliked the topic more than I did. I slanted my lip distraughtly, blaming myself for not seeing the signs sooner... "Why didn't you tell me? I could've done something, I could've—"

"I hope I'm not speaking out of place, but Santana's fears essentially parallel your own, and I decided it would be for the best if I didn't reveal your worries to one another." Rationally, I knew Marley was right, which was the reason I couldn't exactly blame her for anything even if I was sort of desperate for a scapegoat just to make myself feel a little better. "I'm not saying her actions are correct though, maybe she didn't mean it, maybe she just needs some time to cool off..."

"You didn't hear her this morning, Marley," I argued. "She wouldn't even listen to me... _I just_- I really don't want a break, I don't need one. I love her, so in my eyes, it's illogical for Santana and I to be apart... Especially since time is moving so fast and before we know it, we'll have to leave for Agron and this magical escape from reality that planet Earth provides us will cease to exist."

"I don't know what to say..."

"And I don't know what to do," I flashed Marley the best teary smile that I could manage, hoping it would somehow convey my gratitude in spite of the grimness of our conversation. "All I know is that I'm not willing to give up on Santana, _never_."

"Hey, no one's giving up on anyone... You two will be okay, I'm sure of it," Marley cheekily ruffles my hair and I rolled my eyes but a small smile finally graced my lips. "Now, can you tell me why one of the walls downstairs is covered with ice? You know I'm the poor soul who has to deal with fixing everything you and Santana break around here."

I actually managed to release a hoarse chuckle and I sat up straighter, wiping my cheeks with my fingertips. "Better yet, I'll try to show you..."

* * *

"Can I come in?" I snapped my head up and saw Santana standing by the top of the loft's staircase, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. I shifted my eyes to Marley who was politely smiling at my guardian. I nodded before averting my gaze downwards and wringing my wrists on top of my lap. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine." I answered quickly. "I was actually just showing Marley my new power." I pointed at the still-frozen throw pillows on the floor that we used as make-shift targets.

"But you're done with training for the day, you shouldn't tire yourself out—"

"It's my body and like I just said, I'm fine."

Marley cleared her throat and I balled my fists up, knowing my emotions were all over the place. "I should go home, I still have a few things to take care of..." The Mollxian slid out of the bed and stretched her limbs upward. "I'll see you two tomorrow?"

"You should stay, it's still early."

"I can't, I have to go, Quinn," she winked at me before saying goodbye to Santana who was awkwardly standing by the railing. My guardian and I waited in silence, listening to Marley walk down the stairs and exit through the main door. The sound of the locks clicking into the place and the monotonous beeping of the security alarm being switched back on seemed to go on for a lot longer than usual. I still haven't allowed myself to make eye contact with Santana but I knew she was staring at me, I could feel it.

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Hurting you." I finally looked at her and saw how upset she was. "I should've been more sensitive this morning, I had no right to talk to you the way that I did."

"I gave you the permission to speak freely, remember?" I reminded her casually and she sighed through her nose. "Did you come here to take back what you said earlier?" I asked calmly, trying to prevent too much hope from seeping into my voice. She wordlessly looked down and I bit my lip, interpreting the silent answer. "I just don't get it, San... We were so happy."

"I know we were," she crossed the space and sat down on the edge of our bed; it was the first time that we've been up here at the same time since the day that we fought. "I actually don't think I can feel happiness unless it involves you..."

"Santana, you can't say stuff like that."

"Why not? It's the truth..."

"Then why do you want to breakup with me?" I challenged, defensively pulling the sheets over my body. "If you're sorry for hurting me and I'm the only one who makes you happy- why is it so easy for you to end things?"

"It's not easy for me, _Quinn_..." Hearing her utter my name causes both of our eyes to widen but Santana continued with what she was saying. "It's so hard when your own heart is at war with your brain, I know I don't want to do this either but I have to." I looked up to the ceiling, attempting to keep my tears at bay.

"Why do you _have to_ do this?"

"To make sure you don't regret falling in love with me..." I looked back at her, completely baffled by what she just said. If she was confusing earlier, then she was nonsensical right now... _Why would I ever regret falling in love with her? _I opened and shut my mouth a few times, hoping that the right words would effortlessly come out. "There are just things right now that _we both_ need to focus on that are bigger than how we feel toward each other."

"But I don't think I'd ever regret falling in love with you, San... Impossible."

"I've never told you stories about my training, have I?"

I blinked a few times in thought but ultimately shook my head. "No, no you haven't."

"Well, here's one... The very day the elders found out I was going to be your guardian, I was taken away from my Agron family. I was barely given enough time to say a proper goodbye before the royal guards were escorting me to their base..."

"I had two younger siblings, _twin boys_, their names were Logan and Lucas..." I nodded for her to continue, curiosity bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. "They were five years old at the time I started my training..." She sucked in a deep breath and gulped softly. "I mean no offense by what I'm about to say, but during my first two years in the military base outside of the capital, I was absolutely miserable... I kept blaming myself for being a nosy kid, as if the Agron gods had no control over the matter."

"You were only eight, it's understandable that you wanted to enjoy your childhood."

"No, it wasn't... In the perspective of an Agron soldier, it was a weakness." My frown deepened as I listened to her words and the perceptible melancholy coating them. "A year and six months into conditioning, my superiors still thought I was too stubborn. Well, to be honest, I did try to escape a few times." She let out an insincere sounding chuckle and for some reason, it made me feel slightly nauseous. "I woke up one morning and my siblings were in the main training room, I wasn't happy to see them though-_ I didn't want them in there_..."

I locked my shaky hands together under the sheets, feeling more and more anxious by the second. "What happened?"

"At first, they just made me perform the usual drills, so I made sure to execute everything perfectly, I didn't want to anger anyone while the twins were in the room... But then things became a little more complicated," she nibbled on her bottom lip and an invisible lump formed in my throat when I saw that her eyes were glistening. "The Admiral of the central Legion arrived and he said that Lucas and Logan were going to be used as prizes," she clenched her jaw after the statement and my own desire to vomit grew. "They were placed at the finish line of the most difficult obstacle course on the base and the deal was that I had to reach them in 3 minutes or else they'd be shot."

"What?"

"I made it in time..." I let out a sigh of relief but the temporary calmness was ruined by the lone tear coursing down Santana's left cheek. "I hugged them both once before they were killed right in front me... The Admiral asked me what would I do if I had to choose between saving my siblings and saving you... I couldn't even answer because as soon as I hesitated, he shot them both."

"I can't believe this, I swear when we get back to Agron, I will make sure—"

"I don't want revenge, Quinn," she cut me off sternly. "That day, I learned an important lesson and even if I never would've taught it so harshly, I understood the reason behind my brothers' deaths..."

"But—"

"It's the same lesson I'm trying to teach you now," she used the insides of her wrists to wipe her eyes before looking at me with a hard-to-decipher expression. "If I stuck to the rules, we wouldn't have to deal with all of this but I became greedy and for a while, I forgot that first and foremost, I'm a soldier of Agron... And it's my responsibility to protect you even if I'm sort of _protecting you from me_."

"I don't want to hear this..."

"You have to," she countered. "There's a reason why it took me so long to accept my feelings for you, there's a reason why I tried so hard to establish boundaries between us, there's a reason why we_ need to_ put an end to all of this before we get back to Agron." Yet again, I was being torn apart by simple sentences and strings of words. "I've been trying so hard to ignore my fears because I know I'm the happiest I've ever been when I'm with you, but I realized a lot of things the day that we fought... You're right, you're the one with Agron's fate on her shoulders and you need to focus on that... Plus, that same day, I almost killed Marley because of my raging emotions, which just shows that we're risking _too much _for our relationship. I still haven't even figure out—"

"_So_ _basically_, this is all my fault?"

"No one is at fault here... I just- _uh_—" She cleared her throat. "We need to priortize our obligations to Agron over our feelings for each other."

"I don't want to..." I averted my eyes downward, in an attempt to hide my seemingly-never-ending tears. "I mean, I understand what you're saying, but I don't agree with how you want it to happen."

"Would you risk your life to save mine?"

"Yes, but—"

"And that _'yes'_ alone exemplifies the fact that I messed up as your guardian."

"Santana, I'd risk my life to save you because I love you," I told her firmly. "I can't just stand back and watch you get hurt."

"You have it the other way around, I'm the one who should be telling you that... Your life transcends the value of mine, _the value of anyone's_, and it's my duty to persuade you to accept that reality."

"Please don't do this."

"I'm sorry," she crawled up the bed to kneel in front of me before holding my cheeks in between her warm hands and pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. "You know that I'm not doing this to hurt you, right?" I weakly shook my head and buried my face into the material of her shirt, relishing in the closeness of our bodies that I've been craving for. "You're my everything, Quinn... I swear I haven't given up on_ our forever_, but we just really have to concentrate on the present first. I hate the fact that I'm hurting you, but I hope you believe me when I say that it's inevitable- right now, I have no other choice."

I couldn't talk, I didn't even know what was hurting anymore or how I was supposed to deal with whatever it was that I was feeling. That was the moment that I actually felt my heart rip, gushing out waves of pain and disseminating it to every crevice of my body. Santana just held me tighter and silently allowed me to soak her clothing in my tears. I didn't remember falling asleep but I did remember waking up hours later...

_The feeling of waking up all alone isn't something easily forgotten._

* * *

The months following our breakup trickled by in a pace that I couldn't quite comprehend. It felt like the hands of time were moving way too quickly yet there were also certain days wherein I'd long for a way to somehow fast forward everything... _A way to breeze through all of the heartbreak and fear. _It didn't matter how many times I heard Santana's explanation for ending things, it didn't lessen the pain. My bed was still too cold at night, my body was still longing for a specific touch, my brain was still consumed by a particular person- my heart was still Santana's.

No matter how hard I trained or how unbelievably sore my limbs were, nothing could compare to the pain of knowing Santana didn't want to be with me. Our daily lives were governed by civil, systematic routines- my guardian's penchant for professionalism manifesting itself. We didn't really talk unless it involved training or trivial matters; there were no more loving stares or lingering touches. It was as if we were able to defy the laws of Physics and travel back in time, back to a stage where it was the norm for Santana to treat me like her boss.

_And not like the love of her life..._

Well, Santana still took really good care of me; it's just that she made sure to keep herself emotionally withdrawn to prevent any _incidents_. There were days when I'd actually forget about the new rules and I'd lean in for a hug or something, but then Santana would gently reject my advances, opting to smile at me instead. Those moments were incredibly awkward and embarrassing, but endurable because she would always find a way to distract me from my own humiliation...

My progress as the _'chosen one'_ was on track though, I mastered most of my powers and I even learned how to fire a gun already. I intensified my usual training regime because I now needed to exhaust myself in order to get a few hours of sleep. Arguably, there were some mild benefits to the whole separation thing, but I still couldn't bring myself to appreciate it. All I wanted was for things between Santana and I to go back to how they used to be... It's an exquisite form of torment- being continuously exposed to the only person I can ever imagine myself with and not being allowed to show my love for her.

Ugh, I just really missed_ the old us_.

Our new dynamic made me feel so distant from her and I hated it. I understood that we were _'sacrificing'_ for a noble cause but reason and logic hardly helped with reducing the feeling of suffering. I wasn't a robot and despite my attempts to be strong, I spent countless nights crying into my pillow and wishing that the girl downstairs would just go back on her word and crawl into bed with me. I was miserable but I was surviving- I was surviving because I clung onto her promises that I memorized by heart.

I clung onto the words that made me feel safe at night.

* * *

I jolted awake because of the sound of glass breaking, I adjusted my sleeping clothes before rushing down the steps. "Marley?" I raised an eyebrow at the Mollxian who was sweeping up the broken shards of glass littered on the floor. "What happened to the table?" I looked around the living room and saw Santana standing by her laptop, her hands balled up into fists. "Santana?"

"We have to go, Quinn..." I tried to get Marley to look at me and clue me in on what was going on, but she kept her blue eyes casted downwards. "Pack up the stuff that you need."

"Wait, what?"

"We're pressed for time, so I'll explain later but you need to pack right now..." I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Santana shook her head and pointed at the stairs. I obediently complied with my guardian's instructions and filled a large backpack with some clothes and a few sentimental Earthling objects. I changed into a clean outfit before going back down. I was wondering what was going on, but I knew better than to question my guardian in her state, she seemed frantic and angry. I re-entered the living room and I felt my confusion multiply when I saw Marley and Santana strapping a number of special Agron explosives to the walls of the apartment. "Are you ready?"

"No..." I dropped my bag and crossed my arms, forcing Santana to look at me. "What the hell is going on?"

"I told you, I'll explain _la_—"

"Explain now," I cut her off and she sighed before nodding. Marley awkwardly motioned towards the equipment room using her thumb before leaving us alone. "Where are we going?"

"We have to leave this planet tonight..."

"What? My birthday is still more than two months away, why are we leaving already?" I felt my face pale at the thought of finally going into war. There were a few times that I felt ready but then now that we're supposedly leaving Earth, I didn't feel prepared at all. In my mind, training was one thing and _actual fighting_ was a whole different situation. Despite knowing how to use my powers, I still didn't think I was competent enough to face the great Mildan army. "I still have a few weeks, I don't want to go yet... I'm not _rea_—"

"In 4 hours, maybe less, this planet will be swarming with bounty hunters and Mildan warriors... You remember our friend Trize? Apparently, he had a loving fiancée who spent the last few months loyally tracking down his ship, and when she finally found it- she reported its location to the Mildan authorities."

"What?" My heart rate sped up significantly. "Where are we gonna go?"

"It doesn't matter, the important thing is that we get you out of here..." Marley pipped in as she walked back into the room, zipping up a duffel bag full of what I assumed were weapons and ammunition. "You don't have to worry about anything, we were able to come up with a flight track that will lead us away from this solar system without encountering any of the Mildans or their idiotic disciples. It's going to be okay, Quinn, Santana and I would never let anything happen to you."

Santana just nodded before wordlessly fiddling with the bombs once more. This was one of those times that I dreadfully wished that I had the old Santana back, I needed her to hold me and kiss me and tell me that everything was going to be fine. And somehow, I'd believe her because it's easy to be optimistic when you feel loved... "Marley, stay with Quinn while I get the shuttle from the warehouse. Don't go outside and keep away from all of the windows, alright?"

"Wait, why don't we just go with you?" Santana shook her head, no, waving the idea off and I worried my lip. "Why not? Won't it be better if we were all together? You said it yourself that we still have 4 hours before they get here..." I pressed, clearly against us being apart. "Please?"

"Quinn, you're asking me to expose you to even more danger and as your guardian, I'm going to have to say no to that request." She picked up her sports car's keys and began walking to the door. "I'll be back in no time, princess," she smiled at me and I felt my chest clench but before I could say anything else, she was already exiting the apartment.

"Hey, relax, she'll be fine, _it's Santana_..." Marley placed a hand on my right shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "How about we get some food in you before we go?" I whispered out a soft_ 'no, thank you'_ but Marley defiantly dropped the bag she was holding with a charming smile and led me into the kitchen.

...

Half an hour passed and Santana still wasn't back... Marley and I knew that a roundtrip to the shuttle's warehouse, shouldn't take longer than twenty minutes with the way that Santana drove, but neither of us brought it up yet. I seriously regretted eating because it felt like I was going to spew out all of my stomach's contents any second now.

_Where's Santana?_

* * *

I nervously tapped the dining table with my pointer finger, shifting my gaze to the wall clock for the nth time since she left. "Do you want some water?" I nodded but before Marley could reach the fridge, a buzzing noise echoed around the room. "Who—"

I scrunched my brow perplexedly, I didn't even know we had a door bell...

"That isn't Santana..." I whispered out in a panicked tone and Marley exhaled lengthily before bobbing her head up and down in acknowledgement. She picked a pistol up from the table and turned on one of the televisions, fetching the surveillance feed. I felt my blood run cold when the image of two purple-hooded figures appeared on the screen. "Where the hell is Santana?"

"I'm not sure, Quinn..."

"Fuck this," I dialled Santana's cell and with every ring, the knots in my stomach tightened. I heard Marley curse audibly and I saw one of the unidentified creatures pull out a gun-like-object before a booming noise fills the air; the ground floor door was strong enough to withstand the blast though.

_"Quinn?"_

"Santana!" I yelled out in relief, making Marley shush me. "Where are you?"

_"I had to take a little detour and deal with some visitors, but I'm on my way there, give me 5 minutes."_

"San, there are people downstairs..."

_"Shit." _The anxious expletive from my guardian didn't help with my growing nerves- not at all. _"Make that 3 minutes then... Stay inside and whatever happens, don't leave the building until I get there."_

"Okay..." I took in a deep breath before adding the next part. "Take care of yourself, alright? I'll see you _soon_." I somehow held back the 'I love you' that wanted to escape my lips.

_"See you soon, Quinn..." _The line died and I stuffed my phone into my front pocket, pushing my chair away from the table and standing up on unsteady legs. I peered at the LCD monitor once more and saw that the strangers were now trying to pick the lock; my body jerked when Marley grabbed my forearm.

"Where is she?"

"She said that she's coming... What are the odds that _they_ get up here before she gets back?" I gestured towards the TV and Marley released a soft laugh, but I saw right through it, picking up on the false confidence. "Don't lie to me please."

"I'm not yet sure what extraterrestrial species we're dealing with, but with even the most advance technology, it'd take them at least 7 minutes to breach that door without one of _these_ keys..." She moved her brown hair to one shoulder, showing me a small metallic bar hanging from her neck by a thin silver chain. "Lopez said to keep it somewhere safe..."

Another explosion resonates inside the building causing the walls to tremble slightly.

"Let's go back to the living room, alright? I'm sure Santana's nearby," Marley picked up her duffel bag of weaponry, switching up the pistol for a larger riffle and I put on my backpack. "I'd offer you one, but I'm thinking you'd prefer a more hands-on approach..." She winked at me and I managed a brief smile before checking the time again-_ Santana said she'd be here by now_. "Fucking bastards."

I snapped my head to the nearest screen and watched in horror as the two unidentified figures began forcing the main door open, beating dents into the titanium using unearthly tools. At that moment, my phone began ringing and I quickly pulled it out to answer Santana's call. "Where are you?"

_"Please pass the phone to Marley..." _I felt my heart sink even more inside my chest, but I relented and handed the gadget to the Mollxian, silently pining for supersonic hearing so I could hear what Santana was saying. I studied Marley's face as an array of emotions flashed across her features.

"Are you sure about this? Yeah, okay, we'll work on it now... She's okay, Santana, _I swear._" Marley smiled at me before motioning for me to follow her up the stairs. "Alright, be careful, bye..." She gave me back my phone before tilting her neck back to look upwards. "Can you help me make a hole?"

"What?"

"The two men downstairs make up one half of an assassin-foursome from the planet _Casfilm_, Santana said she ran into the whole group a while ago, but she was only able to take care of two of them." I nodded, willingly accepting the rather vague explanation, before following Marley's line of sight back to the ceiling. "There's no way she's going to risk your life by parking on the street while those goons are down there, so she's trying to find a way to stealthily land on the roof... And _that's_ why we need to make a hole, we need a way to get out of here."

"Is she okay?"

"Again, it's Santana, she can handle anything..." Marley repeated confidently. "Okay, let's get this over with... First, I need you to use your hand beams to destroy the first layer of cement." I opened my left palmed and aimed at a specific portion of the ceiling before releasing a pink ray and creating a small hole. "Yeah, keep going until it's big enough to fit a person." I kept firing at the ceiling, revealing more and more of the metal reinforcement underneath the thick concrete. Marley wasn't kidding when she said that the walls and ceilings were well made... The sound of the alarm going off filled the air and Marley peered back for a second before looking up again. "Now, I need you to make the metal brittle using your ice beams."

I hurriedly fixed my stare onto the hole I made, swiftly shooting out blueish rays and essentially freezing the steel mixed with other alloys. The unmistakable racket of the unwelcomed guests reaching the third door, which was also the last titanium barrier separating us from them, echoed in the room, but before I could vocally react, the sound of metal breaking filled the air and I saw an actual hole forming; _an exit to the outside world_. Santana continued to bash the roof using using a rod made out of some obviously-alien metal, until it was big enough for a body to slip through. "Quinn, are you okay?"

A wide grin appeared on my face and I let out a sigh of relief as soon as I heard my guardian's voice. _Thank Agron... _Marley smirked at me knowingly and I rolled my eyes lightheartedly. I hugged the Mollxian from behind and flew us towards Santana. I helped Marley climb through the emergency hole first before I hastily followed suit. "I'm so glad you're okay..." I couldn't stop myself, before I knew it, I was hugging Santana tightly and pressing my face into her neck. "I was so scared, San."

"I'm fine, I promise..." She patted me on the back and pulled away before I was ready to let go. "We have to go, get in the shuttle, princess," she took my bag off of my shoulders and placed it in the backseat, where Marley was already settled, before jumping back into the driver's seat. I took my usual spot and gasped when I saw the huge bruise forming on Santana's right cheek. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt..."

"Really now?"

"Well, now that I'm _sure_ you're fine, it's pretty difficult for me to register the feeling of pain." We both heard Marley drawl out a teasing _'aww' _from behind us and I turned around to briefly glare at the smug brunette. "Okay, _umm_, make sure to strap yourselves in because I'm planning to go over the speed of light." I looked at her questioningly, but Santana was already removing the brakes and manoeuvring the vehicle to face outer space. She handed me a small black remote before holding the wheel with both of her hands. "Do the honors and press the button when I tell you to."

"Sure..." Santana floored the throttle and we lurched in the direction of the heavens, closing the distance between us and the stars. Santana gave me the go signal and I squeezed my eyes shut before ramming my thumb onto the button and setting off the explosives. An ear-piercing blast reverberates through the night sky and I looked down, a little shocked when I saw that our building had completely disintegrated into gray dust and ashes. "Goodbye, Earth."

"You can say that again," Santana mumbled out, increasing our speed and effectively freeing us from the green planet's gravitational pull. "Where should we go now?"

"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter to me."

Santana glanced at me for a split second, a noticeable smile tugging on the corners of her mouth, before she fixed her stare onto the windshield again. Marley cheekily faked a cough and I felt my cheeks's darken in color as I realized just how cheesy my statement was. "Well, _good_, 'cause I'm planning to stick around."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **This is a few days late but I had to re-work a few things. But it might be a Monday on Agron? _Maybe_?

On a serious note, I just wanted everyone who supported me thus far to know that… You're the kind of people who make it pretty darn impossible for a kid to give up on her writing dreams despite how absurd they are. SMILEY.

* * *

**C6**

The tires skidded over the strange soil beneath our quasi-car, sending a flurry of sea green and orange colored dust into the air. Santana retracted the wings and we eventually came to a slow stop; a beautiful Mollxian sunset displayed on our windshield. I let out a breath I wasn't even aware I was holding, my eyes glued onto the breathtaking view before me.

"Well, _welcome to Mollxia_..." Marley whispered out after a while and I looked back to grin at her gratefully. The three of us were discussing our next step when all of a sudden, our vehicle was surrounded by state-of-the-art alien tanks that contained a small fleet of Mollxian soldiers. It quickly dawned upon me that we weren't on Earth anymore; we were no longer on a planet where we could come-and-go undetected as we pleased.

Mollxians had the same stature as humans, which meant that they also resembled the people of Agron to a considerable extent... The main difference was that Mollxians' eye colors determined and dictated their places in society. For example, Marley's were blue because she was part of the government, special-ops to be more precise. Marley once told me that the purpose of '_retinal-color-coding_' was to methodically designate and remind the Mollxian citizens of their fixed place and role in society. The soldiers all had hazel eyes because they were chosen for the military-life...

_If I were a Mollxian, I would be a part of the army... Just another face in a band of_ _brave soldiers_, I mused to myself, keenly observing the figures around us.

Marley went out first, deciding that it'd be better for everyone if she made introductions before we exited the safety of the shuttle. Santana and I watched in silence as Marley conversed with the troop; I wanted to put down the front windows so we could actually hear what they were saying but I knew better... I casted a sidelong glance at my guardian and wondered what was going on in her head.

Our impromptu decision to travel to Mollxia marked a huge change in our lives. We were no longer in the dreamlike hideaway that planet Earth provided us. We weren't in the eye of the storm anymore, we were back in the hurricane... I parted my lips to request Santana's attention, but before I could utter anything, Marley once again approached us, beckoning us to come down.

For the purpose of this narrative, I've transcribed all dialogs in English despite the fact that we started to converse in one of the more universal, intergalactic languages once we left planet Earth.

"Princess, I would like to introduce you to Major Anderson..." Marley presented _Major Anderson_, and he respectfully ducked his head while I flashed him a tightlipped smile in return. I wasn't used to the 'Royal Treatment' anymore and honestly, the sight of bulky and armed soldiers all bowing to me made me rather uncomfortable. I briefly shifted my gaze to Santana whose features were steel-like and unreadable.

"It's an honor to welcome you to our planet, princess Quinn," Major Anderson stated in a strictly professional tone when he finally lifted his head. "The Premier extends to you all of our military's services... His lordship is also cordially inviting you to reside in the Great-House during your stay in Mollxia."

"Thank you," I replied, hoping that I sounded more self-assured than I felt inside. "Please tell the Premier that I'm grateful for his kindness..." It felt like I was traversing back in time, to a past age wherein 'Lucy Rivers' did not exist- I was simply _Quinn Fabray, the princess of Agron_ once more.

"Very well, if you'd allow me to provide you a ride to the—"

"Excuse me, Major, but that won't be necessary," Santana interrupted, speaking for the first time. "The princess and I will be traveling together in our own vehicle..."

"Of course," Major Anderson saluted my guardian. "Alright then, let's move out..." I watched in fascination as all of the Mollxian soldiers entered the tanks again, their discipline perceptible in the orderliness of their sequence. Santana, Marley and I also returned to our shuttle, and Santana drove in between two Mollxian tanks, in the direction of the Great-House, which was supposedly the equivalent of the Grand Palace back in Agron.

"_San_," I called out softly and Santana momentarily tore her eyes off the road to look at me. "I- I don't feel too good..."

"What's wrong? Do you need me to stop the car?"

"I think I forgot how to be a princess..." I revealed, frowning when I saw a small smile grace my guardian's lips. "_I'm serious_," I growled, feeling the butterflies in my tummy multiply. "On Earth, none of this royal-crap mattered... It was just us, things were simple, and now we're here, and I have to be _the_ Quinn Fabray again and I have to know exactly what to say, know how to act properly all the time, and I- I just don't know if I can do it."

"Quinn, relax, I'm sure you'll be fine," Santana reassured, her voice calm. "You can't forget how to be a princess because that's _exactly_ what you are, you're the princess of Agron- it's in your blood."

"She's right, Quinn," Marley piped in from the backseat. "You have nothing to worry about..."

"_Sure_," I quipped back sarcastically. "I _never_ have anything to worry about, right?" I crossed my arms across my chest, annoyed. "You two don't get it... They're expecting me to behave like the princess of Agron and—"

"Well, that's who you are, right?" Santana interrupted. "The three years you spent on Earth didn't change who you are, Quinn..."

"Like I said, you just don't get it," I retorted coldly, looking out of the passenger's side window and biting my lower lip to stop myself from projecting even more of my anger and anxiety onto my guardian. Despite Santana's reassuring words, I knew the truth. I knew that my three years on Earth did, in fact, alter who I was.

I was, literally and figuratively, worlds away from my seventeen-year-old self...

I wasn't the same optimistic kid who left Agron with a heart full of hope, self-assured that the future was bright. I may have _always_ had qualms regarding the fulfillment of my destiny, but my past doubts all seemingly paled in comparison to what I felt when we arrived at Mollxia. The entire business with the Mildan bounty on my head was tangible proof that the elders didn't know everything; that despite all of the prophecies, there was still a considerable part of the future that was shadowed by the unknown.

Our guarded convoy eventually entered the main, gated city of Mollxia... And the sight of picturesque buildings and structures was successfully albeit temporarily able to distract me from the fear-laced chaos in my head. "We're definitely not on planet Earth anymore..." I mumbled out in awe, absorbing the grandeur of Mollxian architecture and culture.

Major Anderson's fleet escorted us until we reached the threshold of the Mollxian Great-House. Santana parked the car in front of the palace proper, and we both saw that there was a tall figure standing at the very top of the steps that led inside. I squinted at him curiously, but quickly shifted my attention to Santana when she muttered something unintelligible under her breath. "What is _he_ doing here?" She questioned Marley and I bunched my eyebrows together, wondering how my guardian knew the stranger.

Before Marley could answer her, I asked my own question. "Who's he?"

"Noah Puckerman, eldest son of the Admiral of Agron's central legion..." My jaw dropped, my mind instantly replaying Santana's story about what the mentioned Admiral did to her siblings when she was younger. One by one, more bulky silhouettes appeared beside 'Noah Puckerman' and I narrowed my eyes at them, ultimately recognizing that they were people of Agron, that they were _my _people. "I don't understand... _Why are they here_?"

"I don't know," Marley replied, sounding equally confused, leaning forward in her seat to see the unexpected group better. "I'm sorry, San, but I have no idea..."

"_Santana_, who are they?"

"They're the people I trained with before we left Agron..." Santana said lowly, removing her safety belt and shutting the engine off. "Stay here until I call you, alright?" She didn't even wait for my answer before exiting the car and slamming the door shut behind her. I watched as my guardian approached the crowd, trying my best to read their lips but coming up short.

After what _felt_ like hours, Santana descended the steps once more, accompanied by Noah Puckerman... He immediately walked over to my side of the car and opened the door for me, a toothy grin across his face. "It's been too long since I last saw you, _my princess_..."

"Hello there," I replied rather awkwardly, climbing out of my seat while fighting the urge to close the unwanted gap between Santana and I. I politely stretched out my hand for a handshake... But Noah knelt down on one knee and placed a kiss on it instead. I worriedly twisted my neck to look at Santana, but her arms were simply folded across her chest, seemingly unaffected by the whole exchange.

I released a heavy sigh, confused as to how the few meters separating me from my guardian could feel like miles and miles of distance...

* * *

After a formal introduction followed by a lengthy conversation, I learned that Noah and his comrades were part of the _Ghost Army_ of Agron... All of their deaths were faked back on our planet, so they could _disappear_ without raising suspicions within the Mildan government. Apparently, the Mildans were all under the false impression that they were able to completely disarm and decimate the Agron military during the invasion.

Santana and I knew nothing about them because they just couldn't risk losing the element of surprise... Which was why they never communicated with us while we were still on Earth. It was just a secret too dangerous to be conveyed, even through encrypted messaging, i.e. Marley's transmissions with the Mollxian government.

Noah informed me that I had at least a hundred Agron soldiers 'in my disposal' (I didn't approve of his wording), and that they were all safely scattered and stationed in the ally-planets of Agron, patiently waiting for my return and my orders... I couldn't stop myself from tearing up during his tale, feeling my insides tangle up as he relayed the numerous casualties and the unprecedented destruction that my homeland experienced in the brutal hands of the Mildan king.

Whatever vague picture I had of the cruelty that my people underwent was nothing compared to the hard truth; the Mildans were merciless monsters, plain and simple.

Each fragment of the gruesome narrative served as sustenance for my ever-growing hatred toward the Mildan king... Yes, it hurt a lot to hear about the agony of my people, but it was a necessary form of pain, a pain that revamped my drive to emerge victorious. There was no way in hell I would let the Mildan king win; all of my insecurities seemed to peter out, replaced by a stronger thirst for justice.

I was hurting badly the whole time Noah was talking though, and I wanted nothing more than to feel Santana's arms around me, slowly but surely taking away all of the pain in a way that only _she_ could. I kept stealing glances at her, wondering if she could _feel_ how much I needed her at that moment... But despite the desire for my guardian that was burning in my chest, she stood where she was, her body language and facial expression withdrawn and indecipherable.

Marley was the one who took the initiative to comfort me, gathering me in a friendly embrace before whispering out a myriad of calming reassurances. I noticed the bewildered stares of Noah and the other Agron soldiers in response to Marley's affection and suddenly realized the reason behind Santana's aloofness. I felt my stomach drop as another harsh slab of reality dawned upon me...

We weren't on Earth anymore; we weren't simply under the unsuspecting and ignorant gazes of human beings- or even Mollxians- we were in full view of people from Agron.

Nothing but professional civility could exist between Santana and I... Once again, I was just the princess of Agron to her and she was merely my chosen guardian to me. We weren't lovers, we weren't even supposed to be friends. A new batch of tears sprung into my eyes before my body was racked with uncontrollable tremors and sobs... Marley hugged me tightly and even if I appreciated it, I couldn't help but wish that it were someone else holding me in that moment.

Of course, I knew it was an inevitable obstacle that Santana and I had to face at some point, but even if we both already foresaw it, it still crushed me all the same...

* * *

"Thank you for allowing us to stay here, sir," I flashed the Mollxian Premier a genuine smile from across the large dining table. "You don't know how much I appreciate all of your help." Earlier in the day, I was presented with a brand new wardrobe, which mostly consisted of long dresses and training-wear, so I wouldn't stand out _too much_ in my new surroundings.

_Thank God skinny jeans only existed on planet Earth... _

"Nonsense, princess, you don't even have to mention it," William replies, waving off my gratitude in a friendly manner. "Without your great-grandfather, Mollxia wouldn't be the planet it is today, so I wholeheartedly believe that it is just right for us to repay you for the kindness your family once showed us... Also, I believe the tyranny of the Mildans shouldn't go unchallenged, the Mildan king is nothing more than an intergalactic bully, and if we allow him to have his victory, there's no telling what he'll do next."

"I agree with you completely," I replied, grateful that there were still a few rulers like William Schuester that were brave enough to oppose the Mildans and their warped viewpoints. "Let's just hope and pray that the prophecy proves to be accurate..."

"Are you afraid of facing him, princess?"

"Yes..." I answered in a softer tone. A part of me felt like tweaking the truth, especially since we weren't alone in the dining room, but a bigger part of me knew that it would've been better if I was honest. "Of course I'm scared, of course I'm worried... But to be honest, sir, all of my feelings of fear are secondary to my desire for the freedom and retribution of my people. Yes, I'm afraid, but I realized today that fear can also be a good thing. My fear also fuels my determination..."

I saw Santana raise her head from the corner of my eye, but even if I wanted to lock stares with her, I knew I couldn't. "It took me a while to understand why people believed in me so much..._ But I get it now_, after Noah relayed to me the sufferings of Agron, I knew that I would never allow myself to fail. I'm scared of Mildan King, _definitely_, but the idea of his victory terrifies me even more, and that's how I know he's not going to win at the end of all of this- I won't let him."

An unexpected round of applause echoed within the packed hall and I felt myself blush. "I couldn't have said it better myself..." William rejoined. "Please remember that you are more than welcome to make use of all of our planet's resources and facilities while you're here… You might be exceptionally young but it's already apparent to me that Agron is in really good hands, princess Quinn."

"Thank you, sir, _for everything_."

The rest of the meal pleasantly passed without anymore impromptu speeches, and we were eventually led to our chambers by a pair of palace maids. My room was right beside Santana's for the sake of comfort more than safety since my guardian and I were assured many times of the security of the Mollxian premises. In any case, Santana's close proximity served as some sort of consolation prize for the fact that we couldn't sleep without walls separating us. It was, without a doubt, a far cry from how we once slept together on the same bed while we were still on Earth.

In line with protocol, Santana still surveyed my chambers for any traces of threats. "San, _wait_." I grabbed her wrist as soon as she was satisfied, halting her supposed hasty exit. "I was wondering if you and I could talk for a bit…"

"Of course," she easily freed herself from my grip and I sent her a tightlipped smile in response, ignoring the shot of pain the deed brought along. "What's up?"

I sat down on the edge of my new bed, my stare never leaving her face. "Eventful day, wasn't it?" I began mildly, still struggling to come up with the right words for what I _actually_ wanted to say. She nodded her head in agreement and leaned against a dresser, inadvertently widening the space between us. "Have you spoken to Noah?"

"A little bit... He just briefed me on the Ghost Army some more while you were busy talking to the Premier."

"Yeah? You guys didn't talk about..." I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "_The past_?" I regretted bringing up the topic as soon as I noticed the change in her facial expression. "Wait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," she half-shrugged, training her eyes on an ornate carpet on the floor. "Look, princess, what happened in the past doesn't matter anymore... Like I said, I understand why Noah's father did what he did."

"But—"

"There are just some things in this universe you have to _forget_ about... Some things you have to move on from because there's no choice in the matter." I narrowed my eyes at her, perceiving the implicit message of her remark. "It's getting late, I should let you—"

"I hate the Mildans mainly because they choose to harm the innocent... So what makes Noah's father any different?" I challenged, unwilling to let her off the hook. "Yes, he was trying to teach you a lesson, but for him to take the lives of two children is downright unreasonable."

"How many children do you think have died since this war started?" She fired back and I pursed my lips, remembering some of the more grisly details of Noah's stories. "How many more children do you think would die if ever you don't succeed?" I ducked my head, feeling the overly familiar feeling of my eyes stinging because of forming tears. "Princess, I know what the Admiral did was harsh, and I do harbor resentment against him for it, but even if it's hard to swallow, I've accepted it."

"How? How can you accept something that despicable? It makes no sense!"

She opened her mouth but quickly closed it, she shook her head and sighed before suddenly switching to a gentler tone and to what I _thought_ was a whole different subject. "I'm sorry I couldn't comfort _you_ while Noah told you about what was happening in Agron, by the way. I wanted to, I really wanted to, but I just- _I couldn't_."

_She still cared- even if she didn't act like it all the time, she still cared about me. _

"It's alright... _I understand_," I replied, shocked at how my own anger seemingly drained away in sync with every syllable that left my guardian's lips.

"I also want you to know that I'm really proud of you for saying what you said back in dinner... I'm glad that you finally understand why so many people believe in you," her lips curled up into a comforting smile and I blinked at her, stunned by the drastic shift of our conversation.

"Uh, yeah, thank you," I murmured, unsure of what else I could say. "But I honestly plagiarized most of what I said from you though- from the very start, you've been telling me how much you believed in me... It took me a hell of a lot longer to start believing in myself."

"That's because I've always been _sure_ that you can do it, and all that really matters now is that you believe in yourself too."

"I'm still not 100% sure that I'll win though..." I confessed, knowing full-well that Santana was the only being in the entire universe that I could unreservedly confide to. "But Noah's war stories tore me up inside and _damn it_, I just want to put an end to all of the violence. The Mildan king can't win, San..."

"And he won't... 'Cause you're the one who's going to win, _you're the chosen one_," Santana declared as if it was the truest statement she has ever uttered in her life. And I stared at her, taking in the most beautiful sight created by any god. I cursed myself silently albeit viciously, recalling all of the times we fought about the very same topic that we were discussing.

_Maybe she wouldn't have ended things if I learned how to embrace my fears earlier_...

"It's getting late, we should both get some rest..."

I managed to dissuade myself from once again uncovering the past, deciding that it really wasn't something we could deal with at that moment. Santana's mind was already made up; our personal issues were all secondary to the outcome of the war. Our relationship was something we had to tackle in the future...

"Yeah, you're right," I nodded my head before realizing that we have yet to discuss another pressing concern. "Hold on, I forgot to ask you, what are we going to do about..." I awkwardly gestured between the two of us with my right hand. "I mean, like, how are we supposed to act now that there are people from Agron around?"

"Normally?" She suggested, making my forehead crease on impulse. "You're the princess of Agron and I'm your guardian," she stated in a way that made it seem as if she could read my mind. "And _that's_ how we're going to act around each other..."

"But what about—" I bit my lip and nodded my head after a pregnant pause. "Yeah, I understand," I lied through my front teeth.

"Uh, alright then, _great_," she walked over to the door and grasped the doorknob. "Goodnight, Quinn, I'll see you in the morning," she said softly, her back turned to me. I just nodded again, blankly staring at her as she left me without another word or a better explanation.

That first night in Mollxia was a rough one, one I spent tossing and turning for hours, ignoring my heart's desperate pleas to tiptoe into the room next door and just give it what it wanted more than anything else…

* * *

The training facilities in Mollxia were infinitely better than what we had back on Earth... There's a reason why, up to this day and age, the Mollxian military is one that is respected and feared throughout numerous galaxies. One of the biggest assets of training in Mollxia has to be the availability of actual sparring partners. On Earth, I was limited to a punching bag and other stationary boxing paraphernalia since Santana would never hit me and Marley was never much of a hands-on fighter... So the chance to _actually_ brawl with a living person was one that I welcomed with open arms and closed fists.

Even if I was still restricted in the sense that I was only allowed to fight a handful of Mollxian warriors/agents that Santana and Marley personally chose... I wanted to experience going against an Agron soldier, but none of them agreed to fight me. Nevertheless, I undoubtedly benefited from the new feature of my training sessions.

...

A solid left hook landed on my cheek and I stumbled backwards, panting. I could hear Santana muttering expletives in the sidelines, but I knew she wouldn't physically interfere; not after she nearly sent one of the handpicked Mollxian warriors to the emergency room during my first day of sparring. I knew she absolutely hated seeing me get hurt, but I also knew she understood that it was a rather essential component of my preparations... The Mildans wouldn't just stand around like targets, waiting for me to strike them.

To be fair, I wasn't allowed to use anything other than my limbs during brawls... None of my supernatural powers were allowed to make an appearance. I shook my head and sighed before pushing forward again and attempting to jab my current opponent. I missed the punch and I growled, attempting in vain to land a hit. The woman I was up against wasn't giving me an easy time and I liked that, she was one of my favorites because she always made sure to forget that I was royalty once we entered the ring.

"What's wrong, _kiddo_? Can't keep up?" Holly taunted as we circled each other and I gritted my teeth. "You've been on Mollxia a whole week... I expected more from you by now." I could hear Santana telling Holly to shut her mouth, but the blonde continued with the trash talk, unfazed by my guardian's _colorful _threats. "Is _that_ why you're not trying hard enough? Because you think you're guardian will keep you safe?" She smirked and I balled up my fists even tighter within the gloves. "Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but she can't protect you from _this_," another punch landed on my face and I felt all air leave my lungs.

"Okay, that's enough!" Santana yelled out and I caught sight of her worried expression. I defiantly shook my head, no, before lunging at Holly again and actually landing a punch. "Quinn, come on, just take a break first..."

I spat out my mouth guard. "I don't need a break," I called back, my eyes still narrowed at Holly. "You think you can psych me out, huh? _Sorry to break it to you_,_ sweetheart_," I mimicked her condescending tone. "But I was a Cheerio for almost a whole year and trust me, you got nothing on Coach Sylvester..." In a flash, I landed a three-strike combo, hitting her face, her stomach, and her left ribcage.

"Now, that's more like it," Holly chuckled out, wincing slightly. "I'm sure you can still do better though," she goaded, a smirk plastered on her pretty lips. "Your moves are too calculated, princess, don't think about it too hard... Just let your strength _flow_." As if to emphasize her point, she delivered a punch straight to my gut. "Fighting isn't like a maths equation, _it's simple_, all you have to do is remember what or who you're fighting for, and it'll stream out of you..."

I hastily stretched out my arms, trying to hit her again, but all of my attempts miss her porcelain skin. "Damn it," I muttered out, feeling my frustration building inside.

"You're thinking too much again... Remember, when you take the time to think, you're giving your opponent the same amount of time to think." I groaned before clearing my brain and relinquishing all control to my fists, I sped up my strikes, my knuckles coming in contact with Holly's body. "Good, good,_ keep going_," she cheered as she tried to dodge my attack. "Okay, now imagine that I just hurt the person you care about the most... End it."

My mind instantly visualized Santana and my eyes flickered to where she was standing behind Holly's shoulder. I felt myself trembling with rage at the thought of my guardian getting hurt. The heat in my palms increased but before it was too late, I abruptly backed away from Holly, taking in deep breaths. I fell on my knees, propelling my gloves onto the matted floor below. I heard Holly take a step closer and I yelled out a resounding '_Don't_'.

"_Quinn_..." I immediately recognized Santana's voice and I looked up in time to see her rushing toward me. I tried shaking my head to stop her, but Santana always had a tough time following commands. "Hey, are you okay, what's going on?" She cupped my cheek and I replayed what Holly said about the 'person I cared about the most'.

All of a sudden, pink beams were shooting out of my palms, burning through the cushioned gloves that were covering my hands. Santana immediately tugged them off, removing the singed leather off of my skin. I looked down, surprised that I had no actual burns or wounds. "I- I don't know why that—"

"San, the princess is fine... Go get her some water, alright?" Marley appeared out of nowhere, flashing my guardian and I a pointed look. Santana nodded hesitantly before jogging off. "What's going on with you?"

"I don't know... I just lost it," I peered behind Marley, releasing a sigh of relief when I saw Holly giving me a thumbs up, letting me know that she was okay. "I have to talk to Santana."

"No, you have to stay away from her right now," Marley whispered back before helping me to my feet. "The whole lovey-dovey thing was okay back on Earth..._ But you two have to cool it here_," she reminded me. "If you don't want anyone finding out that there's more than meets the eye between you and your guardian, you gotta try harder, Quinn."

"I—"

"Especially since Santana _apparently_ can't do anything to change the way she looks at you..."

"What?"

"You know what I mean," Marley retorted before rolling her eyes. "Look, I care about you both and I know you two aren't ready for anyone else to find out about _you-know-what_, so take my advice and _cool it_." At that moment, Santana came up to us, a container of water in her hands. "Thanks, San, you can go now..." Marley said as she seized the drink from my guardian's grasp.

"Yeah, _you're right_," Santana nodded without arguing, which probably meant that Marley and her discussed _things_ already. "Are you alright though?" She asked me and I smiled at her apologetically, nodding. "Okay, um, I guess I'll be over there..." She jerked her thumb backwards. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?" I nodded again and she sighed. "You _sure_ you're okay?"

"I'm fine... I promise, don't worry about me."

"You know I can't do that," she sighed breathily before reluctantly leaving me alone and joining Noah and the other Agron soldiers in the opposite side of the room. I watched her the entire time, sadly musing on how 'hot and cold' she was acting... I couldn't exactly blame her for it though- for the longest time, it was only us two... For almost three years, she was able to care for me in any way she deemed fit without worrying about what other people had to say.

_Mollxia was a completely different playing field for the both of us... _

"See what I mean?" Marley said as soon as Santana was out of earshot. "There's a very fine line between Santana caring for you as your guardian and Santana caring for you as your lover..."

"We'll be more careful," I pledged defeatedly, aware that Marley had a valid point. "_Now_... What were you saying about the way Santana looked at me?" I asked teasingly and Marley rolled her eyes, refusing to indulge me by tugging my already-sweaty body towards one of the exercise mats and playfully ordering me to work some more on my core.

* * *

"Holly?" I carefully approached the tall, blonde Mollxian agent. "Are you busy? I was wondering if I could talk to you for a bit..." She set down the weapon she was trifling with, smiling at me encouragingly and beckoning me closer. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier," I said sheepishly, still mortified over the fact that I lost control.

"No, you don't have to apologize for anything... It was completely my fault, princess. I shouldn't have pushed you as hard as I did."

"Please don't say that, I feel like you're the only one who takes me seriously around here... I like it that you're harsh with me, it makes me feel like I'm actually getting somewhere," I sighed out. "I guess you just struck a nerve with that last thing you said."

"The one about Santana?" She asked, a friendly smile across her pink lips. I blanched and shook my head, looking around to check if anyone heard her utter my guardian's name.

_Thankfully, no one was close enough to hear... _

"I'm not talking about your little remark about my guardian protecting me," I argued, thinking on my feet. "I didn't lose control because of that..." I inhaled deeply, feeling my heart rate increase exponentially as Holly stared at me, studying me, as if her piercing blue eyes could interpret even the things I wasn't saying out loud. "I lost control because of, because of that thing you said about hurting the person I loved the most," I finished rambling, lowering my chin and cutting our eye contact.

"I'd like to say I stand corrected but something's telling me I was right the first time," she walked closer and tenderly placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Quinn... I get it, it's a secret, right?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," I denied despite being fully aware that I was fighting a losing battle. "Santana doesn't have anything to do with what happened..."

"_Okay_..." I lifted my head so our gazes could meet one more time. "I'm sorry. Admittedly, I was out of line with that one," she continued and I exhaled, inwardly begging my heart to relax. "But I just want you to know that-_ if ever_ I was right, you have nothing to worry about... I would never tell a soul, princess."

"And I'm _hypothetically_ grateful, but you're wrong," I declared as I took a step backwards. "Anyway, I just came over here to say sorry for almost shooting you a while ago..." She nodded slowly and I turned around, marching away from the Mollxian without another glance.

Seemingly composed on the outside, but full-on panicking on the inside.

_Who else knew? _I questioned internally, over and over again, paranoia coating the very walls of my chest. My anxious eyes darted around the many faces in the training room, trying to perceive if any of them knew more than they should have known. For the rest of that day, I kept to myself, isolating myself from everyone around me as some sort of vain attempt to aid in the concealment of my biggest secret.

* * *

_I fired an ice-beam from my eyes, freezing the last Mildan standing before finishing him off with a laser-shot to the chest. Afterwards, I crumbled to my knees, gasping for breath. I was covered with wounds and I couldn't see any of my comrades around me; nothing on the ground but unmoving and defaced bodies._

_I tried my best to stand up, but I quickly fell down again, my palms landing on the rough pavement in front of me with a resounding smack. I then attempted to fly, but after levitating a few inches, I lost all power and descended once more. When I lost all hope, I felt two hands on my ribs, tugging me to my feet and holding me up. "I've got you," the voice whispered into my ear and I smiled, knowing who it was before I saw the person's face. "I've got you..." _

_"San- ow, fuck!" I cursed, my eyes widening in both shock and pain. I gripped the handle of the knife that pierced my side and I shook my head, repeatedly asking her 'Why?'. She gently laid me down, brushing away my rapidly falling tears. Her thumbs then gently brushed over my quivering lips. "What did you do?" _

_"I'm sorry, princess..." She leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on my lips. "I'm so sorry," she whispered against my mouth as I felt her own teardrops falling on my skin. _

_With all the strength I had left, I screamed the loudest blood-curdling scream I could muster. _

"Wake up, please wake up..." My eyelids snapped open and I was met with the sight of Santana concernedly staring down at me, her arms softly shaking me. "Hey, it was just a nightmare, Quinn... You're fine, _I've got you_."

Without warning, I kicked her in the stomach as hard as I could causing her body and the bedsheets to fly off of me. I barely stopped myself from making use of my _more lethal_ assets... Santana gaped back at me, obviously confused and disturbed by my violent actions. I hugged myself, shaking my head, refusing to meet my guardian's gaze again. For the first time since I met her, I was afraid to be around Santana.

_Terrified, actually_.

"What's going on here?" Noah rushed inside the room, his eyes flitting between me and Santana. "Are you okay? We heard screaming and—"

"Get out of here, Puck," Santana gritted out and I finally noticed that Marley was also inside my bedroom. The brown-haired Mollxian was staring at me as if I was a puzzle and I self-consciously hugged myself even tighter. "It's fine, I can handle it..." _  
_

"What do you mean you can handle it?" Noah questioned, his eyes trained on my shaking form. "The princess doesn't look like—"

"I'm her guardian and I can handle it," Santana stood up straighter, her left palm pressing into her abdomen as she winced. I parted my lips to apologize guiltily but no sound came out. "Go back to your room, Marley and I will take care of Quinn," she looked back at Marley who nodded her head slightly in reply.

Noah turned to face me once more, reluctance written all over his boyish features. "You alright?" Somehow, I was able to nod my head and he resistantly accepted the answer before exiting the room, shutting the door, and leaving me alone with Marley and Santana. For a really long time, it was dead silent bar the noise of the three of us inhaling and exhaling breaths.

Santana and Marley began whispering to one another, and I just lost it... "_Great_, alright, feel free to have yet another hushed conversation right in front of me," I quipped sarcastically. "What's the big secret, guys? And why can't I know?" I asked in a mocking tone, a misplaced grin on my face. "Don't we have enough fucking secrets as it is?"

"Quinn—"

"What, Marley? _What_?" I raised an eyebrow at the Mollxian. "Whose side are you _really_ on anyway, huh?"

"Quinn, you don't know what you're saying right now," Santana intervened, her voice a lot calmer than my own.

"Actually, I know exactly what I'm saying," I contended steadily. "What is it that you two aren't telling me? What are you two _planning_?"

"What was you dream about?" My guardian asked, ignoring my questions. "And why did you kick me?" She cautiously began closing the distance between us, walking to me, one foot in front of the other. I immediately backed away, my back coming in contact with the headboard behind me. "_Quinn_, what's going on with you?"

"Don't come near me," I ordered her and when she didn't stop moving, I locked my eyes on her right foot and froze her in place, mid-step. She yelled out, stumbling forward before catching herself and gawking at me incredulously. "I said, don't come any closer!"

"Wow, I don't know what you were dreaming about, but I definitely pissed you off in your dream, huh?" She muttered out as she bent down to claw away the ice coating her bare foot. I cringed, quickly realizing how dangerously impulsive I was acting. "Whatever... Marley, your call if you wanna try talking some sense into her or not," she limped towards the door. "But be careful," she tossed over her shoulder before disappearing from our view; the last statement clearly directed to the blue-eyed brunette and not to me.

"Santana, wait, I'm—" The door slammed shut before I could finish and I groaned, angry at myself. "What the hell did I just do?"

"I was really hoping you could tell me..." Marley walked to me, seemingly unafraid, and took a seat on the foot of my bed. "What was the dream about? The Mildan king?"

"Y-yeah," I lied. "Can you please tell Santana to come—"

"What was it _really_ about, Quinn?"

"I told you, I dreamt about the Mildan king!"

"Okay, I'm going to go get some sleep too because we're both obviously just wasting our time right now," she stood up and I lunged forward to grab her arm, pleading with her to wait. "What's going on?"

"I- I had a bad dream about Santana," I confessed shakily, involuntarily replaying the horribly vivid images from my nightmare. "It was a horrible one... And I don't know, it all just felt_ so real_- I don't know how to explain it."

"Well, did something happen today? I mean, besides your near-incident with Holly earlier?"

_Holly_.

Fragments from my conversation with Holly earlier resurfaced and I decided there and then that I needed to talk to Marley about it. "Holly knows..." I whispered. "She knows about Santana and I."

"What? How?"

"I don't know, but she knows, Marley... And that means that other people probably know too. Ugh, we're so screwed."

Marley exhaled slowly. "I can't say I'm surprised that Holly might know... She's very good at reading people, that's her specialty, _witness interrogation_ for our government," she informed me carefully and I cursed under my breath. "But I've know Holly my whole life and if she did find out about you and Santana, I promise you that she would never use that information against you." I didn't say anything, I didn't know what else to say... There was nothing I could do but trust Holly anyway. "This all makes so much more sense now though..."

"What does?"

"You were obviously under a lot of stress today," she began and I listened attentively. "And you were also probably thinking about Santana a lot—" I bit back the urge to tell her that I _always_ thought about Santana a lot. "Your subconscious probably just mixed all of your stressors with your thoughts of Santana, which resulted into you having a nightmare about her."

"You're probably right..." I acquiesced, sending all notions about how frighteningly _realistic_ my dream was to the very back of my overworked mind. "Oh God, Santana probably hates me now."

"She's pissed for sure, but she doesn't hate you," Marley reached over and patted me on the shin. "I'm sure this whole thing will blow over before you know it... That girl can't stay mad at you."

"I'm really sorry though... I don't know what's going on with me," I croaked out. "Santana was right, I didn't know what I was saying and I'm just- I'm so sorry, Marley."

"Hey, it's fine,_ I swear_, no harm done," she squeezed me lightly before getting up. "But I hope you do know that I'm on_ your side_, princess... We both are." She winked at me. "And also that Santana would _never_ hide something from you to hurt you, alright? She could never hurt you."

"Yeah, I know..." I sniffled and I sent her a teary eyed smile in return.

"Now, get some more sleep, I'm sure tomorrow is going to be another eventful day..." She walked over to the light switch, her fingertips hovering over the controls. "I'll talk to Santana and explain everything, alright?"

"Thanks, Marley, you're the best."

The lights died and the door was re-closed, and I was left laying there, staring at nothing, requesting my mind to just shut down for a bit and let me get at least an hour of _peaceful_ rest.

* * *

I was staring at nothing in particular, trying to come up with the best way to approach and apologize to my guardian for what happened the night before. I noticed Marley talking to one of the Agron soldiers- Jacob, Noah's supposed younger half-brother. The second son of the Admiral that killed Santana's brothers...

_How could he do something like that when he had two sons of his own? _

I raised an eyebrow when Marley leant back, laughing loudly at something the boy said, I shook my head, amused by how flirty her body language was. As if on cue, she caught my eye, waved at me, and ran over after saying one last thing to Jacob.

"What's all of _that_ about?" I asked in a teasing manner, hoping to prolong the inevitable and postpone discussing Santana. I shook away all of my personal distaste toward the Puckerman brothers. "You two seem rather friendly..."

"What? Jake?" She shook her head and twisted her features up in supposed disgust. "No way, he's just funny..."

"Why not? You guys looked pretty good together from where I'm sitting."

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing," she gave me a pointed look and I played dumb. "It's _your_ romantic life that we should be talking about right now, Fabray..."

"And we _will_ talk about it after you tell me why you're not into Jacob... Is it because he's not from Mollixia?"

"No, I don't think so," Marley darted her eyes to the soldier in question for a fraction of a second. "I don't know, I guess he's cute, but it's really nothing serious... He's kinda focused on something else right now, something about making sure some princess saves her home planet or something," she wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed. "But no, I really don't mind that he's not from Mollxia... I'd like to think that when I do fall in love, the alien race of whoever I fall in love with wouldn't matter that much."

"That's good..."

"How about you- what's your stand on that matter?"

"On what matter? Dating someone from a different alien race?"

"Yeah... I mean, would _you_ ever consider dating someone who wasn't strictly of Agron descent?" I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "_Hypothetically_, of course— and euw, no, I'm not interested in you _that _way," she chuckled out, mock disgust painted all over her fair features. "I swear, Santana pretty much scarred me for life after... Oh crap, I'm sorry—"

"No, it's okay, I don't mind..." Marley and I rarely ever brought up the day we got drunk in the LA apartment; the day Santana decided to unexpectedly break-up with me. "To answer your question, I don't think I'd _personally_ mind that much... I mean, hypothetically, of course. But I also have to consider the royal throne..." I sighed. "And the law still states that I marry a noble man from Agron's royal court."

My heart was at war with the rules though; it didn't want a man from Agron's royal court, it wanted no one else but Santana.

"This is all hypothetical anyway..." Marley reminded me in a rush. "Well, how about half-bloods? Would you ever consider being with a half-blood?"

"What do you mean?"

"For example, someone who's half-Agronite and half-Mollxian?" She supposed and I stared at her, trying my best to understand the sudden interest, but failing to come up with an explanation of substance. "What would happen if you fell in love with someone who didn't have pure Agron blood?"

"I don't know... I don't think I know anyone who's half-blooded," I stated and Marley looked like she wanted to say something but she merely kept quiet. "I don't see how any of this matters though..." I broke the silence first, chuckling forcedly. "I'm _already_ in love with someone, remember? I'm in love with Santana and our concerns pretty much have _nothing_ to do with mixed alien races."

"Y-yeah, you're right, it's a silly topic," Marley nodded distractedly before smiling at me brightly. I assumed that the subject somehow had something to do with Jacob even if Marley said she wasn't interested him... "Well, I talked to Santana during breakfast this morning and she agreed to give you a chance to explain what happened..."

"_Wait_, I thought you said you were going to be the one to explain things—"

"I figured it'd mean a lot more to her if it came from you directly," she gave me a thumbs up and I sighed yet again. "Once everyone's asleep, she's going to your room... And I don't want to get your hopes up, but I'm pretty sure she said something about taking you on an adventure. She told me to tell you to be in all black and dress warmly, by the way."

"What?"

"Yeah, your guardian thinks you need some time away from this palace," Marley made a sweeping motion with her right hand, gesturing to the setting that the Mollxian training environment provided. "Mm, well, I also may have mentioned to her that you've been dealing with a lot of stress lately..." I gave her an appreciative smile, holding my tongue in order to stop myself from transcribing in words how I felt at that moment.

An exquisite and paradoxical feeling of thrill and fear; I was both excited and afraid to be all alone with my guardian.

* * *

"_Princess_." I spun around, coming face-to-face with Noah... Also known as Colonel Puckerman. I greeted him with a pensive smile, still quite unsure how I should carry myself around him and Jacob. It was simple _professionally_ since we only ever talked about the Agron military and government, but everything else was absolutely awkward. "I just wanted to ask you how you felt this morning? You gave us all quite a scare last night."

"Noah, I told you to call me Quinn... I'm fine though, it was just a bad dream."

"I wish I could protect you from those too..." I cringed; he wasn't allowed to use that line on me, not when the person who still held my heart used it first. When he finally realized that I had no plans on replying to his repulsive sentence, he continued talking once more. "And why would I call you Quinn when your rightful and proper title is readily available for use?"

"Because I _prefer_ my real name," I hurled back, taking in a deep breath through my nose as a precautionary measure. I realized that for the past few days, maybe even weeks, I have been on the edge. The more I thought about it, the more Marley's explanations about my peculiar dreams made sense.

_There was nothing more to them than my unconscious self reacting to all of the stress and pressure I was being forced to endure... _

"Well, if I were a _prince of Agron_... I'd probably prefer everyone to call me 'prince'," Noah said distractedly as he bent down to pick one of the dummies I mutilated with an array of my powers. "I'm sure it feels pretty amazing to be the chosen one, huh? To have all of these powers..." He rubbed a random hole on the mannequin before letting go of it altogether. "We're really lucky to have you, _Quinn_."

"Thanks," I mumbled back, stepping away from the Colonel. I told myself to keep quiet, but for some reason, my mouth refused to obey me. "Too bad you can't be a prince or the chosen one, huh?" I jeered coldly, conscious that it was my vengeful and spiteful side spewing out the venomous words.

It was my loyalty to Santana that was talking...

"_True_," he nodded, still smiling at me. "I _can't_ be a prince or the chosen one anymore... But I still have a chance on becoming king, right?" He chuckled and I felt my stomach drop at his insinuation... I've heard him boast about his link to Agron royalty in his mother's side a few times since we arrived in Mollxia, but it was the first time he ever implied any semblance of interest to the throne- _to my throne_. I luckily spotted Marley and then quickly excused myself from Noah's company. "Nice talking to you, princess," he called out and I didn't even look back once.

_Not going to happen_.

* * *

"I'm really glad you're awake..." Santana adorably grinned at me from the doorway, and I felt an abundance of my nerves melt away at the sight of her breathtaking smile. "Last time I woke you up, I wound up with a kick to the gut," she smirked out and I frowned.

"San, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to—"

"We'll talk later, alright? Right now, I have to deal with breaking out the princess of Agron from one of the supposed safest places in this galaxy," she shook her head and chuckled. "If this all goes south, remind me to kick Marley's ass..."

"Are you sure you don't just want to talk in here?"

"Princess, the Premier assured you that the Great-House is nearly impossible to _break into_... He never said anything about breaking out of this place." I chuckled, agreeing with her logic and gratuitously drifting towards my guardian like a moth to a flame, like a bee to honey. She beckoned me to hurry up and we both quietly left my bedchamber, sneaking our way through a multitude of corridors and halls, our dark and shadowed figures somehow slipping undetected despite the number of Mollxian guards on duty.

After a while, we managed to make it outside through an exit whose existence I wasn't even aware of, and we were met with the sight of one of the thick and high walls of the Mollxian Great-House. "How are we supposed to—"

"Maybe you could fly us up?" Santana lightheartedly quirked an eyebrow at me and I felt myself blush. "_Hey_," she cupped my cheek and I immediately gravitated toward the warm touch. "Wanna give me a lift, princess?" I smiled, nodding as I wrapped my arms around her and lifting us off the ground and over the wall. She held onto my arm once we were both back on our feet, and I snapped my head to face her, unsure how to perceive the contact.

"Santana?"

"I really, really wanted to fly you to another planet for a while... Give us both a momentary escape, like the one we took on your eighteenth birthday," she said and a wave of my most beloved memories instantly washed over me. That was definitely one of the _happiest_ days of my young life... "But I thought that would be tempting fate _too much_... So we're going have to settle for this place Marley suggested-_ is that okay with you_?"

"Of course... As long as I'm with you," I began, unable to keep in the sappy statement. "I don't really mind where I end up." And despite my nightmare and newfound fears, I knew in my heart that I meant every single word of what I just said.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Definitely..." I boldly interlaced our fingers and allowed Santana to lead the whole way to a gorgeous lakeside that was around a 20-minute walk away from the Mollxian palace. I took solace from the fact that Santana didn't let go of my hand until the sparkling water came into view. "It's so beautiful," I said in awe, taking in the sight of the dark blue lake surrounded by glittering pebbles and brightly yellow-colored blades of grass.

The striking space was also littered with growing and vibrant flowers, perfuming the air around us with the pleasantest of scents. "Yeah, incredibly so..." Santana whispered out and I looked to my side, catching her gazing at my face instead of the lake. I felt hot blood torrent into my both cheeks, painting my ivory skin with a crimson glow.

Without a doubt, my body was still powerless against everything that was Santana.

"I owe you an apology, San... _A big one_." I went on to apologize for kicking her and hurting her, telling her that I wasn't in the right state of mind. I even talked about my dream albeit vaguely... All I told her about it was that we got into a _really_ _bad_ fight in my dream, and I woke up scared and angry, which was why I reacted violently towards her. I then brought up the Holly-situation and how I suspected the blonde Mollxian knew about the romantic aspect of what was going on between Santana and I.

I was crying for majority of the emotional conversation while Santana was just solemnly nodding her head and murmuring the occasional 'Okay' in response. I knew she cared though, it was easily perceptible in the way she was staring at me. "So yeah... I don't know, I guess all of the pressure just got to me again, and my twisted imagination decided that the best way to deal with it was to come up with that nightmare," I rubbed at my eyes with a closed fist. "I'm just so sorry, Santana... _For all of it_."

"Alright, well, I forgive you..." She sat down, her face toward the lake. I cautiously sat beside her, undecided how to assess her quick but seemingly genuine pardon.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that... We were forced to relocate to a new planet recently and you're going through _a lot_, and I can't exactly blame you for kicking me right after you had a bad dream where I unwillingly played the antagonist," she said, and as always, her voice was terribly difficult to read. "Plus, I'm really tired of fighting, Quinn..." She lay down on the patch of Mollxian grass we were on, letting out a long sigh as she got comfortable. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah... _I am_," I breathed out before mimicking her actions and also reclining. "What are we going to do about Holly though?"

"As long as she can't prove it, it doesn't matter what she _thinks_ she knows..." Santana shrugged. "Our biggest concern is getting you ready for your return to Agron- one Mollxian's conspiracy theories shouldn't even be crossing our minds."

"Conspiracy theories? Santana, this is _our relationship_ we're talking _ab_—"

"I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of words on my part..." She clenched her jaw and I tore my gaze away from her, choosing to shift my eyes onto the starry sky above. A long silence ensued as we both got lost in our own minds... I was consumed by an array of thoughts on how it could be possible for me to actually miss someone I saw everyday.

_It was a strange sensation; missing someone that never actually left you. _

"Can you come closer?" I whispered out brokenly when I realized that my tears were once again creating tapered streams down both of my cheeks. My guardian snapped her head to face me right away, obviously concerned about my sudden onslaught of sobs. "San, _please_, I need you," I reached out for her and she complied by collecting me against her, letting both her top and skin soak up my relentless teardrops.

She began rubbing my back and shushing me compassionately. I felt her lips on the top of my head and I broke down even more... Falling into an uncharted magnitude of pain. The sad reality is that- more often than not- the person you cried the most tears for is also the person your heart fell the hardest for. "Quinn, it's okay, I'm right here, _I've got you_... It's okay, please stop crying," she held me even tighter and I did everything I could not to recoil from her after hearing a particular trio of words.

_She'd never hurt me... No way._

I was the one who hurt her... I swiftly snaked a hand between us and splayed my fingers over her tummy. "I'm so sorry, San, I didn't mean it..." I brushed my hand over her abs, over and over again, feeling something spark within me as I felt her tight muscles ripple underneath my touch. "Let me, let me make you—"

"Shh, it's okay," she grabbed my wandering hand and interlocked our fingers, putting an end to my feverish plans before things got too far. "I know you've had quite a few sparring sessions, but trust me... It's going to take a bit more for one of your kicks to cause my body irreparable damage," she grinned and I barely stopped myself from surging forward and kissing her.

I settled for something else though... Actions may speak louder than words, but words were also powerful in their own right.

"I love you," I pressed my forehead against hers, keeping my eyes shut, so I wouldn't have to see her reaction to the statement that I have been dying to utter since I last said it. She nodded and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek- and for the first time in months, I actually felt whole again. "I love you so much."

"Until now?" She asked quietly after ages of loaded silence and I blinked at her, in disbelief of her disbelief. "Even after what I did to—"

"Until forever," I cut her off, once again barely stopping myself from succumbing to my desires and capturing her lips for a kiss. "_I just_- I wanted to remind you that I love you, okay? I know things between us aren't at all like they were on Earth, but promise me you won't forget... Promise me you'll never forget that I love you."

"How could I possibly forget something like that?"

"Kiss me?" I breathed out, my fingers clutching onto the material of her shirt. "I know we can't be together yet, but I really need to feel closer to you right now... You have no idea how much I miss you, San."

"Trust me, princess,_ I do_."

"But you won't kiss me..." It wasn't a question, we both knew she wouldn't do it. She shook her head all the same as she cut the intense eye contact between us. I choked on a sob before nodding in acquiescence, stealing one last lingering kiss to her cheek before breaking away from her completely. "How does this all end, San?" I asked, my voice a lot hoarser than I was prepared for. I hugged my knees against my chest, futilely attempting to blink away my tears.

"I'm sorry, princess... I really can't give you what you want right now, I want to, but I can't- _not yet_."

"Just promise me that you won't intentionally hurt me, alright?" I looked her right in the eye and she questioningly tilted her head toward her shoulder. "I trust you, but just... _Don't hurt me_."

"What did I do to you in your dream, Quinn?"

I felt my face pale at her question and its directness. "It doesn't matter..."

"Tell me, _please_."

"I'm sorry, I really don't want to..." I wiped my eyelids with the back of hand. "It's not important- _not anymore_."

"Okay, but whatever it was..." Santana held my cheeks between her hands, using her fingertips to rid my features of all tear stains. "Know that I would never ever intentionally hurt you, princess," she kissed my forehead and I believed her without reservation, I believed her with every fiber of my heart. "I know you're scared right now, but I assure you that you never have to fear me... I could never hurt you, _I would never try to hurt you_."

"Yeah, I know,_ I know_," I kissed the corner of her mouth, feeling incredibly stupid for doubting her in the first place. She would never hurt me the way she hurt me in my nightmare- _impossible_. "Promise me one more thing though... You know that underdeveloped planet you took me to for my eighteenth birthday?" She nodded. "Promise me that once this is all over, you're going to take me back there and we're going to kiss underneath that periwinkle sky like we should've done almost two years ago, and like we should be doing now."

"I'd build you a house on that planet with my own hands if you wanted one," Santana offered and I chuckled sadly, knowing she meant it. "I know it's hard to believe right now, but someday, you and I will be _that_ happy again... _We have to be_," she finished, her voice cracking before she ducked her head to hide her eyes.

"_San_—"

"It's almost daybreak, I should really get you back to the palace... We wouldn't want the Mollxian national guard to end up searching for you." She stood up and helped me to my own feet. "Just a few more months... And we'll be starting a new chapter of our lives, _just a few more months_," she repeated, fleetingly glancing at the lake before walking in the direction of the Great-House.

We held hands the entire way back and I caught sight of a shooting star coursing through the heavens above, I silently made a wish that the pages of our story would somehow turn quicker; I wanted my happy ending as soon as possible.


End file.
